Rochesterfan

More like Pegula: You are Executive of the Year and you just took us to 13-3 and an AFCCG. It is your call - I am on board 100%. Who should the Sabres trade now?

If the Bills interview him and feel he can be a difference maker - I am on board. He has shown some elite character traits in his time and leadership. My concerns are what they are. His talent caught the eye of the best program in football and I hate to criticize him because of the talent on that team, but to me many Alabama players suffer from the same issue NE players suffered from. They were so much better on a specific team with a specific scheme and they do not fit into every other team/scheme. Since there is no film of him running behind the ND line for example - we have to base on what we see. The question becomes how much to teams subtract because of the value of the position and the talent around him? I think right around 30 is a great spot for him to go - I am just not sure with our pass first offense that he is the fit. I could see TB loving the pick (not that they need a RB), but I am not sure Buffalo is the best landing spot.

Yes all labs are inspected - sometimes quite frequently. My current hospital based lab has had 3 inspections already in 2021 (some because of Covid pushing inspections back), but they are not the same level as the SAMSHA inspections (along with the regular inspection the lab has. The interesting thing is drug testing is highly specialized and for these cases require specific testing protocols. Testing for Antifreeze is general done in a hospital based setting due to suicide attempts and there is little to no regulations set up for that testing in legal cases. I have been involved in multiple legal cases involving Antifreeze and Methanol poisoning, but typical the hospital results do not hold up in court because they are not under chain of custody and the samples are not stored under lock and key. Typically in these cases the lab results become part of the picture, but they need to prove the attempt beyond the results. Many times in cases like that an autopsy report and testing is admissible and becomes the supporting documentation with the lab results just adding to the info.

I understand why people love Harris (I also get why they don’t). He was an undeniable force in college and you can see the Henry comparison and ability with better hands and catch radius. My feeling on Harris is he played on the best team with an o-line that has 7-8 guys better than any defensive lineman they played. The holes and the time were always there for him (and his back-up) to easily run through to produce. My fear is that he has average speed for a RB and therefore once the OLine becomes average and the defense becomes faster - many of those elite runs evaporate. If he had Elite speed - then maybe his YPC could translate or he could breakaway on swing passes, but I honestly think with his speed - he becomes a potential 3 down average back. Probably a bit better than Moss or Singletary, but not elite and at this level I think he becomes Sony Michel or Damien Harris - especially if he could get the Pats OLine versus most other teams.

There is a huge difference in testing in ED for altered state and doing legal work for court cases. In the emergency rooms - the sample goes down the lab and is run and processed right on site. Most labs have automated instruments that run and detect major categories of abused drugs and alcohol. They test them and send the results back up to the doctor for treatment within an hour. Those samples are tested one time and usually not confirmed. There are very specific regulatory rules about the reporting and comments to state they are not confirmed and they are screening only for treatment. For cases that involve police, legal matters, and injury; these samples are collected in very special ways via an entire chain of custody. The samples must be collected and sealed and protected to ensure no one has access to the unopened container. The samples along with a bunch of paperwork is then sent to a very limited number of laboratories around the country. The numbers are constantly dwindling because it is so expensive to run a toxicology laboratory that deals in forensic matters. The amount of regulation is insane and you are inspected at minimally 2x per year to ensure compliance. At one time the lab I ran was a forensic Toxicology lab and at that point we were one of 3 in NYS and l about 75 across the country. Those numbers are significantly fewer now. The sample will arrive in a lab and be matched to the chain of custody number and a lab number and everyone that touches the sample was sign on a form for each step of the process. The initial screen is usually pretty quick - similar to the hospital screens - depending upon the order, but all positive results must be confirmed by an alternate highly specific and highly sensitive method. That is where delays take place. The confirmation testing is typically done in large batches to ensure profitability for the lab. A confirmation test for alcohol or other drugs might get performed once a week and depending upon where the sample hits it might go into a second week. If there are other drugs whether illegal or prescription that cause positive screening tests those also must get confirmed. So you end up having all of the testing done typically in 2 to 3 weeks. The results then need to be reviewed by the medical director/toxicologist to ensure everything makes sense and then everything is signed off and finalized. Then comes the final step where the lab has to match the lab case number back to the original chain of custody and send the results back to the client. The lab is testing samples based solely on a number and have (or should have) no idea whose sample belongs to who. Once the samples get back to the client - they may ask for additional confirmation testing or clarification or repeats to ensure what they need. They also typically ask the lab to put together what is called a litigation package - which takes several days to a week - where everyone involved signs off on affidavits that they did not do anything to the sample, all testing results and quality control results are paired up to ensure the quality of the results, all confirmatory results and batches are put together within the data to validate the results, and all medical directors notes on the sample are filed. These are then all revised by a lawyer and then provided back to the client. The lab then also prepares themselves to be involved in the case if needed to validate the lawsuit. Not every forensic case is that in depth as many times the lab once it provides the results to the client is done, but in a high profile case that will involve multiple lawsuits - they are going to have to produce an entire litigation package and that will cause the results to be weeks - as the lab maybe working on 5-10 of these at one time.

Who got better? KC had a huge need at tackle and center. They have missed out on tackle and center and way overpaid for a guard. Guard was a position they already had depth at they signed 2 more (one being a guy out of football for 2+ years that was paid more than both of most teams starting guards). Now they sign a DT from one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Will he be better on KC - yeah, but is he a difference maker - no I doubt it. Plus if it move Chris Jones from the inside out on passing downs - I think their pass rush got worse. The Chiefs to me are strong down the very center (minus center), but have gotten significantly weaker at the edges and Overall I think they have downgraded themselves at this point. The Bucs (as they should brought everyone back - so they are the same minus any age concerns. The Bills are the same way - address little flaws, but did not lose any pieces. The Colts moved to Wentz - I am not sure that was an upgrade. Baltimore’s defense has taken a major set of hits. Miami has not improved - although the draft should help them. NE has improved a few weapons, but until they settle on a QB - they still are not even as good as Miami. Right now to me a few bad teams got better and most top teams got worse. The Bills and Bucs stayed essentially the same. What will be interesting to me is that the Chargers seemed poised to be better - especially with a new HC. They will challenge KC and could give them some fits.

OMG - those are terrible - absolutely terrible. Colors are bad on the helmets and the designs are just a sin - especially in some of the placements on the helmets. It would have been better to be a Peter Pan fake out. That would of hurt my eyes less. 🤮

Why? Maybe he would prefer to stay with the Bills - it has been his choice so far. Here is the roster regulations fitting the IPP (pathways program): ” Roster regulations The NFL has specific regulations for players that sign through the IPP. The teams to which each IPP player is assigned are allowed 91 players[7] on their off-season rosters, one more than those teams that are not participating in the IPP that year. At the point when these rosters need to be cut to 53 (at the end of pre-season), the participating teams must decide the status of their IPP players.[8][9][10] First, the team can keep their IPP player on their 53-man roster. If they waive the player, he goes through the NFL's waiver system, which allows him to be claimed by another team. If he clears waivers, the team can sign the player to their practice squad. If they do, they may elect to take an exemption for the IPP player, giving them an extra spot on their practice squad. If they utilize the exemption, that player cannot be signed to the active roster of any team during the season. If the exemption is declined, the player is treated like any other practice squad player, and can be promoted to a team's active roster. If the player chooses to sign with a team other than the one to which he was assigned, that team may not claim the exemption.” It covers the options: making the 53, getting cut and being signed by other teams through the waiver process, getting signed to the regular PS or the exempt PS, it even covers the player declining the exemption. The process is entirely up to the Bills and Wade and if Wade feels it is in his best interest to stay on the Bills and be exempt then that is a choice he has. We should not feel bad for him.

I think long term he is your C/G player that people are looking to draft. I think they keep grooming him to take over for Morse at some point. Right now they seem to like Mongo a bit more at Center, but I hope this is the year he begins to take that mantle. I love his position flexibility and his desire to play center is a huge bonus for his future on this team.

Yes - we just signed a guy in Obada from the program. I believe there are 11 guys trying to get in the pathway for this year - so the numbers are growing making it more and more likely to get guys that will eventually have an impact.

The biggest problem that I see - is that if the Cap after the adjustment is in the 190-195 million range - with the restructures from this year - we are already in worse CAP shape for next year - before signing Edmunds and Allen to their 5th year options or extensions. We have fewer people under contract at a higher base cost, which is why Beane is working hard not to push to much into next year.

Hap - I don’t believe that was true - He still had to clear waivers just as every other player cut did. Every NFL team could sign him at that point. The Bills could then offer him a Full PS contract or as they decided the Pathways Program PS contract. The Bills offered the Pathways offer and that was what he accepted. Again at the end of the both years the Bills had to offer him a futures contract for him to remain a member of the team and come back the following year. He signed that contract to come back or he could of been a FA either year. Just a quick look at 2019 and 2020 transactions - both years the Bills had to cut Wade at the cut down and then subsequently re-sign him to the PS. He does not automatically move - he is subject to waivers just like every other player.

He will hopefully get a chance to play - I am guessing the extension to the program was due to the fact that all of these guys lost last year because there was no preseason and practices were limited. My guess is the Bills will see what he can offer, but with a team going “all in” on trying to win a championship- I do not see a real spot for him on the Bills except as a Pathways PS player. The choice will be up to Wade - does he want a shot this year and he does not sign that contract and becomes a FA (or gets signed by another team) or does he like Buffalo enough to wait out another year in protection (which is safe and good money).

If he is part of the Pathways Program - yes the Bills get an exemption and can bring 91 rather than 90 players to training camp, but at the end of training camp he get cuts just like every other player trying to be signed to a PS. Every team in the NFL has an option then to sign him to their active roster. Once he clears waivers then there are up to 4 additional choices to be made. 1.) He can be signed to the Bills active PS. 2.) He can be signed any other teams PS. 3.) He can agree to another deal with the Bills and be put on the Pathway PS as an exempt member (just like the last 2 years). 4.) He can forgo any contract and becomes a FA immediately and can sign with any team either active roster or PS. He is not bound to the Bills (other than when that was the assigned team in year 1). He has had to sign futures contracts just like other PS players to get an invite the following year. He had a choice and could either sign the futures contract and stay in Buffalo or forgo the contract and become a FA and try to latch on to another team, but then he loses the Pathways option - which pays him pretty good money to learn the game. You are correct that once he chooses option 3 and signs his new contract agreeing to be on the Pathway PS - then he is bound to the Bills, protected, and can not be activated, but that is a choice he gets to make in partnership with his agent and the Bills. The Bills do not get to just force him there and once he agrees - the player understands (or should if he has a good agent) what he is signing up for - no movement, but no risk of getting released and a chance to be paid to continue to learn and grow.

??? - The man literally has a chance to play with anyone that wants him. It is not automatic that he has to stay with the Bills or be an exempt PS player - He has to clear waivers and every team has a chance to sign him before going on the PS. He also does not need to agree to the pathways extension and can become a FA. He has options, but as a very limited player - those choices are limited. The fact is a RB with little experience that has not shown much of anything has very, very little value. Wade had no place to go last year and this actually gives him a chance as an extra player to remain on the team into preseason and maybe put a bit of tape out there no matter how limited. It also gives him an option to remain in the NFL for an extra year. Without the Pathways program - he is cut after year one and is out of the NFL. You want to see the positive of the program look at Obada - he failed in multiple training camps before the start of the program. Then he got into the pathways program and with the things he learned in his failed training camps and the training in the program - he made a team and plays in the NFL. If he is good enough to make the roster - great, but now he has a chance to remain with a team and continue to learn and make money and share and grow his experiences. If he puts good tape out - he can also make the roster, the regular PS, or get poached by another team. The final scenario is that if all of that fails - he and the Bills now have an option to go the pathways route again and give him one more year.

He retired from rugby. Wanted something new - it does not mean he could not go back.

Totally agree on the need for a pass rush. The issue is it was not a DE versus a CB2. It was what group of players are you getting rid of for which DE. Are you not re-signing Milano, Williams, and Feliciano to create enough money to go after Lawson? That is the equivalent contract. The Bills recognized the need at DE and went after Watt - when he decided to go to Arizona that changed the cards you could play. They had a chance to restructure and re-sign several players on very team friendly contract or let them go and try to sign FA DEs. The issue is exactly what KC is going through - what happens when you strike out on the guys you target. They targeted Trent Williams to be their next tackle and even tried overpaying and he choose SF - now they are stuck with no Tackles and a weaker team. If the Bills let Milano and Feliciano hit the market and cut Butler and Addison - they could of got to 13 - 14 million to sign a DE and restructure Dawkins to free up some extra money to sign another DT. The problem becomes does Lawson sign with you? You offer him the Jets contract at 13+ million and the Jets counter with 15 million does he still choose the Jets? If you miss out then you have created gaping holes and missed your guy. Beane took the sure thing over the maybe and that becomes especially true because after Watt you had a bunch of questionable guys at DE. Lawson was great as a rookie and then less productive than Addison since then. He had 5.5 sacks in Cincinnati, but a ton of QB pressures finally in his contract year on a defense that was bad overall - so he did not really move that defense. Ngakoue did not improve Jacksonville, Minnesota, or Baltimore’s defense as a “needle moving” DE. Dunlop did improve Seattle’s defense, but he puts up numbers equivalent to Addison and is going to be 32 - not sure he is moving the needle greatly over what Addison brought. Clowney, Ingram, and some others are still available and none are big improvements over the guys we brought back. The best of the bunch might have been Hendrickson and he chose money going to a dumpster fire in Cincinnati- so again that would of been a hard sell to get in here without significant money. I think everyone agrees (including the front office) that a pass rush animal at DE was a huge want - the balancing game makes it more difficult. Watt choosing Arizona made a huge difference in how the Bills approached FA because you lost out on the guy you targeted. That left Beane in the position that KC is in - do I sign my own or cut ties and go after the top guy. Beane decided to re-sign his guys at significantly reduced prices to allow them to go after other FAs - KC went after multiple top flight FAs and hit 1 and missed a couple and now have no tackles on a team that was weak at tackle and it cost them a Super Bowl.

He could of and yes Addison does potentially cost more than Reddick, but Reddick to me does not fit on this team - he is not an Addison replacement- he would be a Milano replacement. I could of lived with that, but again we know what we have with Milano and Reddick did not emerge until his contract year (always a scary thing) He would of been a nice piece, but not a big time player. If it is between Addison/Milano or Reddick/Milano- I am taking Addison only because the Bills typically employ a 4-2-5 and Milano and Edmunds are the 2 guys they trust. If you want to argue Reddick and Dunlop over Addison and Milano - I would listen to that, but 4 years of Milano is better than the 1 year of Reddick. If you rework Reddick and Dunlop’s contracts to mirror Addison and Milano - then you have potential. Do you take Lawson at DE over both of them? Cut Addison and do not sign Milano - that gets you enough to sign Lawson - does that make the Bills significantly better? I don’t know - maybe. It also leaves you a significant hole at LB that you need to fill.

That is exactly what I want to hear - at least you have options. I honestly don’t know how I would react - I want discussion not just wah wah wah - we need to go all in. You are correct we would not know how those guys would doinbuffalo, but for example Dunlop - you say he is a needle mover, but he has done less in Cincinnati than Addison has done over the last 4 years. In addition last year, Dunlop had 6 sacks to Addisons 5. Dunlop is a nice player, but his re-signing with Seattle at over 8.5 per means the NFL thought he was on par with Addison. The last thing about Addison is yes he is not an elite player, but he has been better than many of the guys we talked about during the initial FA period. He has outplayed Clowney and Lawson over the last 3 years and has been on par with Dunlop. So the dude maybe garbage to you, but with his pay rate and what we get - I will take that over what Cincinnati got from Lawson last year and Lawson was a pipe dream for many. There were a few needle movers at DE, but then you had to be willing to give up something. For example many people wanted Lawson - his 13.5 million price tag means you lose multiple of Milano, Williams, and Feliciano and maybe all 3. Then the question is does he alone make you good enough to win without Milano and are you happy to sacrifice your Right side of the OLine for potential DE. Thank you for at least having the courage to have a few options so we can discuss. That is the point of the board. I myself think with the way the staff works - Milano was significantly more important to the defense than any DE on the market. The DE rotation and the way they want the non rush DE to hold up in the run game means you are going to have guys like Murphy and Addison that do their job - do not put up big numbers, but are crucial to the defense. The issue becomes if you get the needle moving DE - does he have the freedom to just rush the passer and not worry about the run game or is he put into the same role as Murphy and Addison and everyone crushes him the next year.

once again like who? - you complain you want a needle mover - who is that. The Bills keep making moves and you do not give ideas or anything - just you want needle movers. Who is the 1st round player you want to trade - then we can talk. Who is this TE or DE needle mover and what are you willing to spend? Lets cut Singletary, Our best ST LB, Butler (after his restructure or before?). Worst of all let’s tack a year on Hughes to save a few million - when we can get out of the contract next year. This is what they did with Star and it backfired when he sat out. Great now you freed up 7 million dollars, but you need another DT - where is that coming from and at what cost? You do understand we also still need to sign nearly 20 guys prior to camp right? We are at 65 and have 7 picks. All I keep asking is who are the needle movers you want - this is your thread and your complaint- what would make you happy? Are you happy if they restructure Dawkins also and take 13 million for a DE like Clowney - does that move your needle. Does he really make the Bills better because he sure did not make Seattle or Tennessee better. Are you happy if they trade a 1st or 2nd to Philly for Ertz and his 8+ million contract? Is that a needle mover? Would it be better if they gave up their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and probably a high pick next year to get Pitts in the draft? I just want to know WHO!! You could be right on or you could be way off, but saying we need to go all in and not giving any (not even one miserable player) that fits your criteria - what are we supposed to do.

Why do you think the CAP will soar? Serious question. Quick math tells us there is a very good chance the CAP is lower than it was last year. If we assume everything opens back up and they can have 100% fans - the Cap should rise to approximately what was expected this year (prior to COVID) ~210 million per team. The salary cap for this year after COVID would have been 150-155 million, but the owners agreed to 182million - meaning they have 30 million in over revenue spending for this year. The owners wanted that back ASAP - so the original agreement was it would be removed from the next 2 years CAP. So if we think it is even split then lop 15 million off the 210 and you are down to 195 (or last years numbers). There is nothing saying it has to be even and the owners may want more faster as they are the ones out money - so they could do 20 and 10 or even all 30 if they want - basically keeping the CAP flat with this year. Additionally - the NFL plans to add week 17, but it comes at a cost of potentially 2 preseason games. The preseason games are nearly 100% revenue as the players are not paid at their regular season rate, but season ticket prices and parking and food are all at regular season pricing - making that all revenue. That is all assuming there is nothing that limits some or all stadium capacity that could limit revenue.

So your plan is push everything in and if it fails and we can’t compete in the future it was worth it? For what and who are you trying to spend significant money to get better. You want to push significant CAP money into future years, but have given nothing. What magic DE, TE, and RB makes this 13-3 team significantly better? You list a bunch of guys from KC and TB and the truth is those players are all insignificant. The fact is Brady and Mahomes made those 2 teams. Most of TB was there last year without Brady and did not make the playoffs. Suddenly Brady arrives and bam those guys are another level and win a SB. KC won the Super Bowl the year before without CEH and Dee Ford isn’t on either team - he is in SF and they didn’t make the playoffs. The fact is this is a terrible LAMP post as all you do is whine about spending more money. You want me to take it seriously- give some names - what DE are you signing that gives you significant improvement over Addison and AJ and at what cost as we are already borrowing from an uncertain future. Which TE should the Bills suddenly add that takes the place of Knox and fills a role on the team? Where are we getting this magical TE and what are you willing to spend. What RB left after today’s deal do you want added now that brings a championship to Buffalo - who are these Big 3 that we should be going out and getting - that every other team is overlooking - that we should mortgage our entire future for. There isn’t anyone - so you can’t give name - you can just say now is the time to push it all in without opening your eyes and realizing that Beane is going for it. He already spent more than he planned because he had to restructure Tre White - which was a limited resource that he only wanted to use in case. He limited flexibility and money in future years maintaining a 13-3 team - while other teams have fallen. He looks at the future and what we will need next year and makes calculated choices based upon the fact that we still don’t know what the CAP will be the next 2 years as the NFL recoups 30+ million from the next 2 cap years. I can’t help you to see what is going on right in front of you - that requires you to process what is happening. If you just want to complain- great, but at least add something to you post so we can discuss or put this in any of 10 other threads already complaining about a lack of DEs, RBs, and TEs.

Just stop - let the man building the team keep going - do not waste the next 15 years for 1 questionable year. Just keep improving like they are doing.

Good - hopefully this kills the Harris to Buffalo thoughts in the draft.

Not quite true - for LJ it is almost 75% between the hashes and in the shorter to intermediate levels to TEs. Almost all of the throws go to the middle with few actual throws to the outside or to WRs. For Kaep and Tyrod - almost all of the throws were to 1:1 WRs on the sidelines both short and deep. Much fewer throws to the TEs or RBs in the middle. Kaep was less athletic and a better passer, but used small percentage of the field. Tyrod could run, but did not trust tight throws. He wanted the receiver with a clear sight line and facing him - that was his cue to throw. Nice completion percentage, but little in YAC. The first year he was on fire on deep throws to streaking 1 on 1 WRs and that opened things up - as that dried up - so to did his passing attack. LJ is the most athletic of the group and has a good enough arm to make most throws. I also think his WRs are better than they get credit - they just do not get the volume. I think the Roman offense limits severely any QB reads and places an emphasis on very specific throws based on single reads. In Baltimore- those throws are top TEs because of the emphasis on the run. Draw LBs and safeties up and hit the TEs in the gaps created. What I don’t know is: Could LJ do more with a different offense or is his success tied to the style dictated by the Baltimore staff? He has not shown a grasp on reading defenses, but is very good at reading individual players and making plays off from them. Run/pass options, various pass combos based on a DE, LB, or safety - he can read and react to those. Drop him back and force him to read a defense and find open spots - he is not there yet - the question is it Roman holding him back (WR route combos, formations, and scheme) or is it LJ and Roman is maximizing his ability - LJ just does not realize that yet. Kaep and Tyrod were both maximized under Roman (and his scheme) and did not improve under other staffs. LJ is still young, but he is missing his prime learning time and think he will also maximize under Roman.