harmonkillebrew

I was happy to move on from Davis to upgrade. The Diggs trade made me think they were really going to overhaul. However, I'm less than excited with what they chose to do in the draft.

Gabe still did it some. He had a TD last year that was vintage deep sideline stuff. His height and good hands, made up for less than top speed and average route running. But most of that success was Allen fitting it into TIGHT windows. That is what he can do that other QBs just can't - hit deep sideline windows with lasers. It would be even more deadly with a WR with hands, routes, and speed - a true boundary WR.

It feels more like we're treading water, rather than improving. The offense improved a bit when we ran more under Brady and Kincaid and Shakir stepped up for sure, but it didn't change the end result in the playoffs. Now you take away two primary threats from before - Diggs and Davis - and Kincaid and Shakir will get more attention. Will Samuel and Coleman make up the difference? There will be no real outside threat and I imagine teams will quickly sniff that out and our Offense will stagnate due to the lack of a diverse attack. But if we can run it down peoples throats and then score TDs in the red zone at a high rate we'll be ok.

all these guys are going to average like 4 yds/catch

Targets are not just about force-feeding, it's also about getting open. In a multiple read offense, you'll get the ball and get catches if you get open. Diggs got open, regularly, including against other team's top CBs. He regularly roasted Jalen Ramsey, JC Jackson, and other CBs. Shakir, on the other hand, faced slot CBs, S and LBs. Diggs problem is more attitude and increasingly age. But we still could have used him this year. No one on the team currently replaces his skill set and experience.

True true, but his contract is also just not tenable for his age. Another crap contract by Beane. He must be a total team cancer given how much we're eating in cap this year for NOT having him on the team.

I don't know what happened second half of last year to Diggs, but I don't put it on him alone. I think Brady's scheme and play calling and a lack of a real #2 were as much to blame. With Davis hitting FA, I would have liked to see Coleman added to pair WITH Diggs, not try and replace him. Now that would have been a WR room - Diggs, Keon, Samuel and Shakir! Could have given DCs fits. But I think they probably did well to move on from Diggs. They just should have done more to address WR. Our WR room already needed an upgrade with Davis not producing consistently, but then when he left and then they also traded Diggs, more was needed.

I don't think even Beane/McD are saying "absolutely". This is a roster in transition. It has some good raw talent now, but is missing a ton of proven vets with experience. Difference makers in this league, as another poster put it. The vets we got rid of were casualties of a salary cap driven league. We will miss them, but we've done a pretty good job of filling in behind them. D Douglas covers for White Rapp/Bishop for Poyer Not sure we have a real replacement for Hyde at center field. It's very hard to say we're better at S today. Floyd is a loss, but hopefully Von is back closer to full strength O Morse was a leader but we should be ok Gabe Davis - serviceable #2 and boundary WR. Keon replaces him from a skill set/role closest. Diggs - he still had 100+ catches, 1200 yds and 8TDs last year. I'm not buying the quit on the team schtick. Huge hole and no real replacement. Big shoes for Keon to try and fill as a #1WR. Samuel will help fill some of this role, but he's really a slot guy. More the 2nd slot in 3WR looks with Shakir and Keon. RB - I do feel like we got better at RB with Davis. I've warmed up to that pick considerably. I'm not so worried about the D. I never really am as McDermott consistently fields a competitive Defense. He's that high school football coach who can adjust to his talent with good scheme and coaching. As the HC, he also ensure the GM always invests top capital (such as the luxury of heavy Dline rotation) But the Offense is still a huge work in progress. I hope Brady is up to this rehab. It will probably involve some growing pains. I also don't feel like we got any better in coaching. McDermott has full control with his yes men now. We brought in no new ideas at DC and Brady got the job mostly b/c he runs the conservative, "complementary" offense that McDermott wants that keeps his fragile D off the field. Nothing suggests to me that we've gotten better this year. I'll still root my ass off for all the guys and spend too much money on jerseys, merch and tickets. But I'm starting to lose patience.

It was interesting that apparently he was texting him during the draft telling him he's the guy he wants. Did they let Josh make the call?... I would imagine that Keon plays with passion and is there competing every play. Seems to be a character too. Probably good teammate and guy to have in the locker room. but not so good for the Xs and Os

It's a fair point. Josh was bad in a few of the early games, but Dorsey's scheme and play calling was more to blame. I don't know who said Maserati, or what that even means, but I think most people's point is that the short-stuff game that Brady introduced also was figured out by the playoffs and didn't really work. Josh's legs were lethal, but our inability to attack the defenses at multiple levels made us easier to defend. The idea is that moving forward we should have a plethora of options ways to attack, to keep defenses on their heels. Instead, we've doubled down on the middle of the field, <10yd pass attempts, adding a guy that profiles as a big slot to an O with a big slot already (Kincaid) and two smaller, quick slots (Samuel and Shakir). I'm still waiting for someone who knows Xs and Os to explain it to me. I guess we'll just see how it plays out. Assume Brady has a plan for all these guys and the lack of a true boundary WR

I'm talking anything over 20 yds, but to the sidelines and attacking downfield soft spots in zones, not just go routes. Allen can hit those pretty regularly. His go routes have been a little more hit or miss. From what I know of Samuel's game, its short stuff and quickness. He has the long speed, but perhaps his ability to beat the jam, or route running or to track and catch the ball keeps him as more of a LOS guy. A fast 40 helps you gain that down the field separation on a go route, but even better when coupled with good route running and ball tracking. There were a number of guys with that profile, including Worthy, that the Bills didn't seem to like. Or they didn't think they needed that skill set, which gets back to the OP's topic - what is the philosophy and is it misguided?

Teams consistently contracted their coverage on us last year. We became less and less productive in the passing game (and more reliant on Josh's legs). Part of this was due to the scheme but also due to a lack of downfield threats. There was just no risk to giving up a big play for a TD. I'm just repeating what a lot of analysts pointed out. If anything the Bills got worse this offseason. Gabe and Diggs were inconsistent last year, but we don't have anyone close now. None of those guys you mention - Hamler, Isabella and Samuel - have any real production downfield, despite good 40 times. (I mean Hamler has not done anything at all in his career, nor has Isabella really, so its laughable you even mention them)

Need to have the threat of the home run, or even deep post/out to keep Defenses honest. That involves WRs with the talent to do it, which we have none of now. We will not threaten outside the numbers down the field and probably only down the middle deep on seams to Kincaid. It's going to be all underneath stuff and ball control. I just think that wastes one of Josh's supreme talents. He'll never be Brady, he's a gunslinger. The schematic mismatch with his HC is becoming painfully obvious.

It sure is looking more and more like that. But I have to put some of the failure on Beane too.

Grateful for what they've done to this point. But that doesn't give them an eternal license to come up short. If they don't make more progress this year, we should try another route.

I've been a Bills fan a LONG time too. I've suffered through a lot. What gets me impatient is that we have the answer at QB. Josh is so frigging good. Better than Kelly, imho. What is holding us back is coaching and decision-making. I appreciate where Beane/McD got us to. Forever grateful. But I want more and I don't think they have it.

You're probably right. But it did seem like pressure ramped up on McD mid-season last year. I think the team's resolve in turning it around reflects well on him as a leader of men, but also masked the underlying flaws in the philosophy. Fans should not be complacent if it doesn't so well this year. With JA at QB a lot of coaches could do what McD has done, but a really good one could take us to the next level.

I agree. They've had enough time. Anything wrong with the team/roster now, is solely due to them. This offseason they've doubled-down on their philosophy of conservative offensive, despite a generational talent at QB. It's make or break. If we don't get past the divisional round AGAIN, it's time to give another HC and probably GM a chance to put us over the hump.

Harty wasn't really a big swing, more like a bunt. Guy had not been very productive prior. But they did overpay him. Sherfield was also more of a lukewarm attempt. 1yr deal. No real prior production. If they planned to let Gabe walk you think they would have invested a draft pick last year in a replacement. They got Kincaid instead. Other good teams surround their QBs with talent. Look at Philly, Cinci, SF, Ravens. KC is the only one that trended away from that last year, but this year they're back at it with Hollywood Brown and Worthy as additions. It all adds up to a FO/HC that doesn't seem to want Josh to throw downfield. Are they trying to hem him in due to the INTs?

I think the point of the drill is not to show how fast you are, but to show how fluidly a prospect can catch multiple passes while on the move. It's not accurate to then use it to gauge relative game speed. What's a better metric is actual GPS game speed data. Found this, I'm sure there's more online. 2024 WRs PlayerTop Speed Xavier Worthy22.7 Troy Franklin22.3 Xavier Legette22.3 Marvin Harrison Jr.22.2 Brenden Rice22.1 Javon Baker21.7 Anthony Gould21.6 Ladd McConkey21.4 Brian Thomas Jr.21.4 Jalen McMillan21.3 Tahj Washington21.1 Jamari Thrash21 Jalen Coker20.9 Ja'Lynn Polk20.2 Keon Coleman19.6 Oldman (formerly indybillsfan) called me thickheaded. he seems a little grumpy

Guys are focused on catching the ball, not running fast. Coleman ran so fast he was out of bounds by the last ball. Don't be such a grumpy old man. Bills still need a boundary WR (or two) and maybe a new GM/HC

McD always trying to protect his fragile D, keep them off the field, while the Offense has slow, excruciating drives that result in a missed FG

There should only be one (ok two) person offloaded - Beane/McDermott. This latest offseason is just further evidence these guys have no clue. If Josh doesn't will us to the AFC Championship or SB this year, Pegula should axe them. We are missing out on a generational opportunity with these yo-yos in charge.

Haha, its true, he was entirely out of bounds on that last ball. I like his competitiveness though.

I think your conclusion is right. It seems to be the strategy given the personnel priorities. But it's a huge error, imho. We have a QB that can exploit any part of the field, yet they're hemming him in to only play conservative between the numbers, underneath football.