Rochesterfan

Isn’t Ertz on the Eagles still. Pretty sure there is not a lot the Bills could say about the situation. Not sure they could even acknowledge that they had discussions even if approved by the Eagles.

Totally agree with this - I am saying if the CAP was meaningless and KC was not afraid of it - there would be no reason to make those moves. KC also would have gone out and signed several other players to improve the team across the board. Adjusting Mahomes contract does not show a lack of fear of the CAP - it shows that they are evaluating needs and what they are willing to spend - same as every team. The idea that everyone is afraid of the CAP because we have not gone out and restructured everyone is wrong. It will be interesting - What do people expect the CAP to be next year - assuming things are 100% back to normal. Let’s say the CAP rises to what it was expected to be this year (pre COVID) about 210 million. The NFL CAP would have been under 160 Million this year without the adjustments. If the NFL moves 15 million of the lost cap space off from next year - the CAP next year is back to 2019 levels at 195 million. If they decide to recoup it all in 1 year the Cap next year could be nearly flat to this year. Everyone is making assumptions about how much the CAP will rise and until we get the actual numbers teams should be smart about pushing excessive amounts of money into next year. 2023 with the new deals should provide the huge growth, but next years CAP is still in flux.

Because the CAP is meaningless - they should not be afraid of the money and Fisher could come back and be their savior. They cut them because the 2 players are not worth the contract at this point and it frees up money - so KC must have recognized that the CAP is there and they needed the money to do other things. They manipulated the CAP with Mahomes, but still did not sign the Tackles they wanted and overpayed for a guard. KC recognized that the CAP was limiting them and at some point they got scared about what Trent Williams contract would do - or else they would have gone higher and higher. I understand it - I just think the entire premise is ridiculous - Beane is playing the long game and that means borrowing from the future only when you have to - not all the time.

Another Tipster Thread - yeah. Lets see - in 2019 when healthy - the Bills were the best team in covering TEs. In 2020 with injuries plaguing the LBs they were not good. Hmm healthy LBs might help. Lets see NE had Tom Brady that has incredible short range accuracy and an ability to read defenses and get the ball to TEs and RBs. Last year they had Cam - that is not accurate and is not good at reading defenses - He struggled getting the ball out to RBs and TEs all year. Not really that worried. The Pats had a great OL and multiple TEs that could both block and catch making it difficult. Pair that with Randy Moss and it made for an all time offense. Now the Pats have 2 TEs that are ok (way overpaid) and neither are great blockers and you speed guy is Agholar - a guy with questionable hands and does not adjust to the ball well. Not really the same with Cam throwing to these guys. I expect it will end up like last year a very run centric team that tries to hold teams down and they will have some success, but without significant improvement at QB they will be a middling team that scares everyone for a couple of weeks and then gets laughed at for others. Just like every other team that way overspends on FAs.

This is just plain stupid - If KC was not afraid of the cap why did they get rid of their 2 tackles without replacements. Because they freed up Cap space to sign others - while both being injured for next season. Why did they not sign Trent Williams like you said - oh because at some point it costs more than the players worth. They must be a little scared of the CAP or you go higher to get the guy you want. Why didn’t they sign Hunter Henry or Smith to supplement the TE position, Why didn’t they sign a quality WR as they really could use talent at WR as was shown in the SB. At some point every team has to make Cap related decisions - the question is how much do you want to push to the future and how much do you want to get out of the way. KC has been ok for several years (prior to Mahomes), but never way over spent. It became a thing in KC once they paid the QB and got a structure from the deal that they could manipulate. The best team in this salary cap era is NE and they rarely got into salary cap jail - which kept them good for a long, long time. The Saints should have been that successful, but their CAP management was terrible and they kept pushing bonuses to the future until bam they have to do stupid deals that will hurt the team going forward. Beane is not adverse to borrowing from the future, but he is trying to balance that out so you become a contender for a long time. The Mahomes restructure is nice one year - just pushes the money forward a bit, but then if they do it again and again eventually that dead CAP will cost you 3-4 players. His deal already cost you OL depth and a 2nd SB. Now it looks like it is costing you OL and WR talent.

Just a few things from me. QB - Allen - enough said - not worried about him any more than any other QB in the league. RB - Singletary and Moss are all right - looking for some real speed here from the draft - not Harris as I don’t think he is significantly better than Moss or Singletary - need more speed than he will provide. WR - we are set - would not mind McKittrick back or something similar with speed and return ability - could come from the draft if needed. TE - If we can get something relative cheap - great - if not the 4 guys are probably enough to get them through, but would not mind a nice veteran presence. LT - all set LG - disagree with you here - This is about Ford versus Boettger - just as it was after Spain was released last year. Mongo is on the right and Winters is a FA and will not be back. C - Morse with Mongo as a back-up set RG - Mongo with the loser of the LG as a swing back-up RT - all set OL depth - with Bates and Adams the loser of LG - they are set, but could use a draft pick for depth. I look forward to seeing what they can do as the OLine did not play 1 snap together as a 5 person unit. I think them all getting together will boost you back to 2019 Averages and a bit more RB speed helps out. The most important thing is that they are a good pass blocking line.

As there is no way - I will not vote, but if we are in dream land - I think I go Hunter because he is more a true 4-3 DE and I prefer Mack as a stand-up OLB.

Even if he is - look 4 of the top 5 TEs were drafted 3rd round or later with one guy even being undrafted. Not one of the top TEs in the NFL produced even Knox level numbers in their rookie years and most took 2+ years to produce. The most comparable is TJ Hockenson as a #8 pick that took until year 2 to produce. So if we make this trade and Pitts is like most other rookie TE - especially the top end guys - he does little to nothing this year. The question is he a year 2 breakout like Kittle or a year 5 breakout like Waller or someplace in between like Tonyan. That is assuming he actually makes the transition and is not a below average 1st round pick like Ebron or Howard that never became anything special. I just think like TE most years - Pitts will be over drafted and will take years to determine if he is any good. Almost nothing in NFL history suggests this trade would help the Bills this year or next - if ever.

1) Because this team typically limits rookies especially early in the year until they get experience 2) Because with 4 starting caliber WRs that are good route runners - I do not believe that a TE gets many targets. The TE position is mostly coming out of the H-Back spot and is a part of their blocking scheme and I do not see a rookie being trusted in that role. 3) The team values LBs and I can not see them moving on from a young guy because that means you have Klein as your starting MLB most likely and that really hurts the entire team. 4) Rookie TEs tend to struggle and and take time to become anything - so can this kid come in a do something almost no one else has done and become a star TE. 5) What we have seen with Josh is that he is most comfortable in multi-WR spread formations and he can pick his target. He has for years even when we had very limited WRs - he has picked out WRs as much possible and limited his reads to TEs and RBs, except in the red zone. 6) Finally - I think Josh really likes and trusts Knox and therefore even bringing in a top flight rookie - I think they go with a lot of 11 personnel with a RB and 1 TE and Knox would be the primary guy mostly due to trust. I could go on, but it centers mostly around how rookies are utilized and the trust and knowledge level needed to succeed in this offense.

Nope - not a chance would I make that trade. Get rid of a young 2X Probowl LB for a questionable TE that we will barely use. I think we need to rethink a few things around here. 🤦‍♂️

Nope - don’t want him - don’t need him - let him waste space on the Jets. Stupid idea to even entertain.

Totally agree - that is why I don’t believe people that say Daboll doesn’t like TEs. I think Josh has shown himself to be most comfortable when he has a variety of routes available and that happens best out of the spread with multiple WRs.

I think an highly effective DE can still be sought after, but teams have really done a great job of scheming quick plays or draw plays to neutralize specific DEs. I agree that a couple of talented DTs getting pressure and blowing up the middle of the field is a huge improvement to most teams. The DEs rush up field and contain and then crash for the sacks, but the DTs pushing the pile back is the usual start to a great pass rush.

I think every team that has had Ngakoue have felt he was overrated. He is now on team 4 and his presence (or lack when he moved on) did not change the team at all. I think the Ravens wanted Judon, but not at the price paid by NE. Judon is an excellent player in the Ravens scheme - he just is not worth what NE paid for a team that is trying to build around what they hope is a franchise QB.

Except it isn’t for this year. Milano is 7 and Addison is 4 based on the restructure- so Lawson also costs you Williams. That for a guy that again made little difference on Cincinnati and has historically (including last year) had less production than Addison. Basically an EDGE that got the QB down 5 times would cost you at minimum 3 starters from last year that you resigned. With little to no guarantee that he signs with Buffalo. Give me the 3 guys you know versus the one guy that you don’t.

How do you figure? Lawson’s best year with sacks was his rookie year by far - he has not been getting better - he has been getting more snaps with less production per snap. 2019 was more productive than last year as he had 5.0 sacks on 477 defensive snaps. He had more tackles for loss and played better all around. In 16 games in 2020 and well over 120 additional snaps - he got 0.5 more sacks than Mario Addison for the Bills. (A guy you and several other posters are killing for his production). He also had less overall tackles and less tackles for loss than Addison in all of those extra snaps. He is younger than Addison, but he is getting paid more than 2x what Addison is paid for less production (both career averages and last season per snap). Look I liked Lawson and would of been fine with him on the Bills at a reasonable contract - around Addison/Murphy level. At nearly 2x at - his pass rushing is not good enough to warrant that kind of money. Heck Lawson had fewer sacks than Shaq Lawson did for the Bills in 1/2 the snaps in 2019. Watching the Bengals- he was noticeably on a few occasions, but he never popped. He was Shaq Lawson, Mario Addison type player - getting push - making a few plays, but rarely flat out beating a tackle 1:1. He is a good player, but I think the Jets way over paid - same as they did with Corey Davis - a speed guy with questionable hands.

Wow - really hits home the nice deals Beane got by signing his own. The Bills controlled costs this year and look at some of the money spent for guys.

It seems that most fans agree that yes a static group of starters that has consistently shown improvement when healthy is better than what KC has done in losing their entire OLine. That WR2 they lost missed several games and the Bills managed to go 5-0 when he was out. His replacement also was the only receiver in the NFL to have over 20 catches and average over 19 yards a catch in the entire NFL over the last 6 games (per Sal). So yes they have lost a little, but they adjusted last year and they have guys to continue to adjust. With Davis and Hodgkins - maybe they look to big body some DBs and perform more double moves. The entire offense might change with out Brown as they move to more and different route combos. Just saying - well they are the same and therefore worse is foolish. They are young and have a staff that has changed up every year as the players develop - there is no reason to assume they are just sitting there even with nearly the same roster.

Maybe a rookie going on his second year that gets an entire off season. Maybe the return to health of both LBs that they used a ton in the zero gap in 2019, but only limited in 2020 due to injuries. I think there are many ways the Bills improve just by getting healthier. For example having even 1 healthy WR in the playoff game might have made a huge difference, but the fact that all 4 starting WRs were injured and limited had a big impact. Sometimes status quo is actually getting better if the team you are chasing is getting worse as KC appears to be. Sometimes making a bunch of additions via FA does not improve a team as guys struggle to come together. As I said - I will wait and pass judgement later. Right now - status quo is good.

Yes - so you have been debated throughout the thread and almost universally told to relax and see where we are going and you counter with it is not last year. No kidding - so therefore we should expect the young players to improve and the guys that were injured early in the year to be healthy and therefore we should expect some improvement. We have the ability at this point to start 5 guys that they wanted to start last year and never got to play a snap together, but still managed to be an above average OLine with the injuries and have both RBs average over 4 YPC. Maybe seeing as those players are all getting some time together could they improve. We have a defense that put together a good 2nd half of the season as players got healthy and we are looking to build on that. We have a staff that is always looking to find ways to get better- so the expectations rise and the players and coaches self scout and adjust. Are last years Bills as good as last years KC team - based on results - No, but they were not far off and the expectations as KC has to remodel their entire OLine and WRs means that there is no reason not to expect the Bills to have gained on them. So while at the moment the Bills are pretty much status Quo the KC team is at a net negative. So yes - I think the Bills have closed the gap on the only AFC team better than them last year. I also believe the AFC east will be significantly better this year, but the Bills overall schedule will be significantly easier and so I would expect them to be around 13-3 again - the question becomes does that drive home enough wins to be the #1 seed as I think KC gets pushed harder by other teams after showing some weakness. Finally of course fans and teams have been dissecting the Bills offense and that is incumbent upon the staff to adjust, but why would you not expect the team to adjust. The offense last year was a heck of a lot different from 2019 with scheme and playcalling, but you do not think they can adjust by bringing back the players. I think the continuity allows Daboll to begin at a higher level and add more plays and more things the defenses need to figure out. This still does not even include any additional trades, FA signings, and draft picks that can all come in and improve the team. As I said - your post is fine for mid-September if we are struggling, but for an hour before FA starts - it was garbage.

Good God - what a worthless post at this point. So the Bills that just went 13-3 and made the AFCCG and are working to retain many pieces of the roster is a bad thing? The fact that the team did not have its starting 5 offensive Linemen play 1 snap together. The fact that they did not have any preseason to adjust either the new O line or D line and had to make those adjustments on the fly. This all means that we can not get better as Allen learns even more and as Moss gets his NFL body under him and the OLine gets some time together with all 5 starters - maybe some of that will allow Daboll to be a bit different. Maybe they played a more conservative defense because that is what had worked to slow down KC prior - now TB showed a different way - do you think the Bills might be able to adapt? Do you think the Bills can better adapt as they know exactly what their team can do? Do you think the Bills might still get players in FA and the draft. And if you are going to use the draft understand they need a bit over 3 million (not the 6 million BS you spout) because of where they are drafting and the top 51 players for the cap. So that doubles what they have left with some other potential money still available. My God - I could understand if this was the middle of September and they were struggling, but with FA just starting - you should turn your fan card in and go sit in time out to think about what you said. 🤦‍♂️

Nope - they made a huge difference for Brady - see TB. Unless they get a better QB from someplace - I do not think that offense with Cam is a passing offense and his blocking isn’t good enough to warrant this.

I think with their money - he ends up back in NE on a big contract and then after a year or 2 they look to trade him and get younger.

They took Shaq last year because he was one of the better DEs on the FA market and it took a player from a rival that they had knowledge of. I think they knew what type of DE that Lawson was, but they signed a bunch of LBs - like Van Noy to pressure the passer. Last year there was limited DE talent and lots of LBs. They signed a few LBs and one of the top DEs. As the Dolphins look at the upcoming FA period - they see a lot of talent at DE and almost no talent at ILB. With the cutting of Van Noy - they needed LB help and I believe much like Beane - Grier looks at what is coming up and uses that to plot a path. Therefore you acquire an ILB to fill a position of need and open up a spot so you can aggressively pursue a better DE. You moved the need from LB to DE at a time when the FA class has a bunch of DEs. I think it was less about the players and more about the positions. You now have depth at LB and can pursue talent in the draft and a hole at DE with perhaps as many as six DEs available that could improve your team. Your point about improvement is correct, but improvement for Miami is really wrapped up in QB. Does Tua develop with a few new weapons or not. If the defense can stay the same (as they had a great year last year) - then the question becomes can the offense generate more and that will be the deciding factor in improvement.

I would if I had 30+ million in cap space. Other than that - I do not want to spend that kind of money on a guard. Especially from NE as those guys never seem to live up to the hype.