Drunken Pygmy Goat

MSN... That is all

If anything, they'll look at signing a camp casualty or two, or maybe poach from practice squads. But if any are brought in, they likely won't see the field until later in the season, if at all. The starting squad we have now will probably be what we go into the season with.

For the record, #Sabresmafia has been around for a while now, at least as a Facebook page anyway.

This is where I'm at with Ivory. I'm not "down" on his signing, so to speak, but I feel like a lot of fans have a "grass is greener" approach. Tolbert wouldn't have been so bad if not for the 2 fumbles, one of which came on a big run, right after he plowed through a defender. Still not a "great" compliment to Shady, though, and Cadet looked much better suited for the role (runs a bit like Shady as well). I think Ivory is an upgrade from Tolbert, but at his age, it's hard to guess just how productive he'll be. He wasn't very good last year, but that's not always a true indicator of how someone will look in a new city. But a lot of his production (and other skill players) will be dependent on the offensive line and QB. We can't say much about our offense with a new OC, but the scheme that he's supposedly bringing to the Bills typically involves RBs staying in to help block on passing plays more frequently than in West Coast offenses. And if the offensive line is as bad as peceived (or just not as good as it's been), that might influence more chipping and blocking by the backs. At the same time, RB and TE are outlet receivers for young QBs, so that might inflate the reception numbers a bit. With all of that said, I don't see our backs having a very high number of receptions this year. And with Ivory, I have less expectations for him than others seem to have, but not necessarily due just to his age. But I'm not going to judge him just on numbers alone either.

Link?

Yeah, that article seemed a bit "off" to me. Was it an 18 year drought or 17? Is Edmunds 19 or 20? There really wasn't much in depth content either. Really, the article just brought up names of players that were brought in to help on the line, and praised Milano and Edmunds. There really wasn't anything that related to the title. Maybe it was just a poor choice of wording. The main point to take away from the article is how their athleticism and instincts will help this defense to be more effective (does that mean "swagger"?). The fact that Milano played safety and has a very good handle on reading routes and concepts is probably as important of a factor for him as any. And while his size may be an issue against the run, there were several instances where his instincts and film study were evident, and he shot out of a cannon off the snap and into the backfield untouched. He seemed to always be around the ball. The game at the next level didn't seem to be too fast for him. Getting pushed around by bigger men might not happen as often this year either, if the line is actually better. He'll be able to scrape more, and avoid blocks more often. With Edmunds, the Bills clearly have a better scheme fit player than they had with Brown. Great speed and size, but also younger and cheaper. And in a zone heavy scheme, his length and wingspan become even more important.

Like I said, a lot can happen in the next 10 months, but I don't think any of them will be very good. I don't think any of them will be worthy of a top 10 pick, although based on the importance of the position, some team may gamble. Hypothetically speaking, I think the best QB coming out next year would have been the 5th or 6th QB drafted this year.

Talent wise, I say C. But there's no way to grade something that we haven't seen with any validity. That would be like asking us to grade Josh Allen as an NFL QB.

Next year's QB class will rival that of 2013 as one of the worst ever. I know a lot can change between now and then, but look at the crop. It's pretty bad, and I think that McBeane saw the same thing, which may have put more emphasis on drafting a QB in 2018. You forgot to answer in the form of a question. YOU LOSE!

I think that was just Phillips' way of exaggerating the mentality and approach to football and life that McDermott wants from his players. Always confident, head held high kind of thing. That kind of attitude resonates and permeates.

BR has no idea...none of us do. There's still so much that needs to be decided that, even if no injury to AJ or Nate, you just cannot predict this stuff. But I get it; it's the worst time of the year in the NFL, and that these media outlets have to put something out there to keep the money flowing. I do think that it makes sense to predict that Allen will start at some point this year, since he was drafted early, and that it's not outlandish to think that this will be a "down" year, but it's also not crazy to think that Nate might be second in line, just so the coaches can see if how he's progressed and if he's worth keeping around after this year. The first quarter of the season looks really tough on paper, so it may be evident that the Bills are out of it earlier than we might like, but that will allow the staff to see what they have in Nate and Allen over the course of the last 8-10 games. Not that I want it to play out that way, but if that's how the season starts, it's probably the approach the Bills would take at that point.

Yeah, I was wondering how long it would be before that was pointed out. "You just can't win..."; the Bills won 9 games in 2014. Granted they had a very good defense, but part of being aggressive is the idea that you may have an inflated number of penalties as a result. But the point being made is what's important. Its not really about how many penalties or penalty yards, but rather when those penalties occurred, and the impact that they had. I had some free time yesterday, so I decided to watch the Dolphins @ Bills game last year. There were 2 plays where this issue arose, and they had a big impact. One was on Landry. The Dolphins converted, but he was flagged for OPI, and then for UC. The other was on Washington. The Bills made a couple of nice goal line stops, but well after one of those plays, he swatted the ball out of the RB's hands on the sideline. Shortly after, the Fins scored a crucial TD. And IIRC, that drive started well into Bills territory, after a long return was aided by a horse collar call against Buffalo. The Bills may have won the game, after a very good 1st half by Taylor (but the Bills offense was putrid in the 2nd half), but the Dolphins got back in the game after being down 3 scores in the second half, and they were moving the ball pretty well. They recovered an OS kick and had a chance, but Cutler threw a terrible pick to seal it. That penalty by Washington was exactly what the Dolphins needed. Totally unnecessary, and at the most inoppotune time. Those types of damning penalties seem to be less frequent under McDermott, but they won't completely disappear. But the change in culture is evident. McDermott wants you to present yourself like a winner. Harrison Phillips said that it doesn't matter what you're doing to McDermott, do it like a winner. When you step out of your car, do it like a winner. With Rex, it didn't matter how you stepped out of your car, as long as you made it to Dave and Busters by 8 o' clock...

Trent vs Shaw will be interesting. I don't think there's much of a "competition" so to speak with Kyle and Harrison, but I think Kyle's PT will decrease towards the end of the season, with Harrison manning his position. If the Bills are in the playoff mix, this would give Kyle and his old legs some rest, and give the Bills a better rotation. And if the Bills are out of it, it would give Harrison some more valuable time on the field. Kyle may have lost a step, but he's still pretty good, and is still pretty quick off of the snap. This staff won't do him dirty and give Phillips more PT than Kyle (barring major regression from Kyle), especially since it may be his last season. But Kyle is a true pro and wants what's best for the team, and I'm sure he understands his role. Phillips is basically Kyle's "little" Padawan, and is potentially the future at the position. I'm more interested in seeing Phillips compete with Washington. Also, I think you're selling O'Leary short. He's gotten better each year, and has reliable hands. And he just looks the part of a "classic" TE, even if he's a bit shorter than your typical TE.

WR After Benjamin and Jones, nothing is set IMO. Holmes and Kerley are experienced vets, but neither are better than average in any area IMO, and even though this staff values veteran leadership, I think it's more likely that they choose to hold onto one of their new, young WRs instead. Aside from showing out as WRs, I think a lot will depend on how they look on special teams. But I believe the staff would also prefer to keep around as many players as possible that could be Bills for a longer period of time, especially on cheaper contracts, and I don't think Holmes and Kerley fall into that category.

Where did you see that?

When it comes to click bait, no one tops the originators. MSN should be the last place you go for anything sports related.

Still not worth the time...

That was about as good of a breakdown from an "amateur" as you're going to find. Thanks for posting this YOLO. I'm going to give this guy a follow. Good for him for pursuing a dream, and good for his wife for her patience and faith and in him.

I can see Taiwan Jones making the final squad, but not sure who gets let go to make room for him. Maybe Holmes. Jones is a good special teamer, and all of the Bills RBs are "old" and may see some injuries. He made some plays last year when called upon, including that huge run at the end of the Bucs game. If the Bills are more focused on building their offense for the future, perhaps they move on from a vet like Holmes who really doesn't have a long term future in Buffalo, in favor of a younger WR. In this scheme, WR is a bit more interchangeable, and Holmes isn't exactly a player that you absolutely have to keep at all costs. This would give Jones a spot, while giving one of the young WRs that McBeane brought in some valuable experience.

Fair enough. I didn't know they ranked Taylor that high last year. I know PPF isn't the end all be all, but I think it's usually a decent barometer. I do think that Hughes can put up better numbers, but the don't forget that he was miscast in Rex's defense, and had little help last year. To say that he's been terrible, or something similar, is absurd IMO. His numbers over the last couple of years might make you look at his contract and say that he's not performing to to that level, but it's not all about sacks and tackles, or even pressures. And he was paid based on past performance, which was above average, in the right defense and with players around him playing well. He hasn't had either of those over the last 3 years.

But, but, sacks!!!

@bobobonators PFF (TIFWIW)

Not worth the time...

He's paid to help his team win football games. Getting good pressure on the QB does that. I get that sacks a much more flashy, but players on the line, on both sides of the ball, are also dependent on the players next to them doing well. It that doesn't happen, you suffer because of it. Why do you think Hughes would get double teamed? Is it because he's good, or is it because his linemates weren't good? The answer is yes. Dareus was a bum last year, Kyle a shell of his former self, Washington not very good, Lawson under performing, Yarborough not the most athletic or refined. Hughes was more of a focal point for opposing offenses as a result. RBs and TEs would chip him over Yarborough or Lawson. That can be the difference between a sack and a hurry, and I'm sure it was on several occasions. Being the 20th best edge rusher out of 64, under those circumstances, pretty much renders your take as a bad one. Maybe he isn't the best against the run, but the defense as a whole should be this year.

You do realize that getting sacks is about more than just beating your man, right? This post is outright bad