Rochesterfan

I think a combination- Davis, Diggs, McKittrick, and TEs (Kroft and Knox) depending on route and gameplan.

Not only that in the AFC the Bills and Steelers would both be fighting for the #2 seed because of the bye in the old system, but now with the set-up 2 versus 3 seed has little meaning so either or both teams might rest guys rather than play the string out. I love having more games, but not sure it provides the excitement they thought.

Depends on what you are looking for. I think you have Sweeney and Knox as your all around TEs and you have Becker and Lee Smith as blocking guys, you have Gilliam as your special team/FB guy for next year. If you are looking for their version of Kelce - they already have that in Beasley. I do not see the Bills drafting for a Kelce/Gesicki - WR type because they have that with their WRs. If someone fell in the draft - it is an option, but I don’t see them making that a big part of their plan. I don’t see the Bills wanting to switch the 80 throws to Beasley to a TE and cutting Beasley to the 30/40 targets. Look at the KC attempts (2 guys Kelce/Hill) get the majority of throws and everyone else is 30 -40 targets. The Bills have that with Diggs and Beasley and several others at 30-40. If you target a TE - you are pulling throws from Beasley. If Diggs is hurt a TE is not the answer - they have 4 other WRs to play and will attack with the WRs. TE might be the 5th option as a need: it would be after DE/DL, OL, CB, and LB and it is much more likely that those needs will have a BPA over TE that has maybe 1 or 2 guys and one like Pitts is going top 10 - the other is projected late round pick - so not a BPA in 1st round.

I have no issue with it. Don’t change the rules - if you want to correct it - change the divisions. If you are keeping the divisions - then this will happen rarely. You should not create rules to impact a rare thing - if you want to eliminate a losing team from making the playoffs you have no divisions or 8 teams in 2 divisions and adjust the schedule accordingly. I have no issue with an NFC East team (or NFC west like a few years ago) winning a division with a losing record and getting the advantage of a division winner because that is how it is set up and fits the rules fairly over time.

Since you know it has been talked about many times - call up the old thread and add thoughts rather than start over. I see no real way they are spending a high pick on TE. They will have 5 on the roster already for next year even after letting Kroft go. 4 of them will be on rookie deals or minimum pay - so you are not saving money and this team is about developing talent and I think they will keep trying to develop players. Plus Josh seems to really love Knox - so I imagine that helps also. The Bills should be using early picks on DE, CB, OL, and LB to fill needs based upon FA losses. If a TE falls big time and is the best player on the board - then go ahead - I just don’t see that being even a top 5 need for this team going forward.

Totally disagree. What he said was 100% correct - maybe a bit mean, but correct. Diggs and Davis versus Duke Williams - a practice squad extra. was it necessary- nope, but that does not make it wrong. The team recognized they needed more: Diggs, Davis, Hodgkin, etc - they knew relying on Williams was bad. Williams wasn’t even the call up with Brown out - it was Kumerow. Should tell you what you need to know.

I hope so - that is exactly what I would like to see. A reward for Webb and a better potential QB than Barkley now that we are stable.

Which is exactly why they don’t want to flex the game. They want as many games with playoff impact on at the same time- therefore each team plays to win and you give the least advantage possible.

It is true - as outside of the facility- they prohibit any gathering of players and/or coaches. Although it is very different than the Las Vegas issue - it is the same kind of thing. Typically the league can not fine the players in this situation- it is the team that must fine the players - my guess is there could be a league fine coming to the team. They might be able to avoid it as it seemed they stayed fairly distant and were protected as long as it was quick, but the league has discretion to fine and punish the team. I think they said in the video it was Davis’s idea.

@NickelCity - totally agree - I heard he did not meet the requirements placed in his reinstatement plan - that could simply mean he missed or did not have enough counseling meetings or missed a meeting with the NFL and those had to be made up. It did not sound like a relapse necessarily back into drugs based on the article I read and what I heard. @ColeB - I agree that he has already had to many chances, but until I hear more info on this - I am not jumping to the ban him for life until I hear exactly what the situation was. I think the lifetime ban should have come on failure/suspension #3 or 4 in Cleveland or NE. What I do not think is fair is if they reinstatement him week 16 or week 17 of this year. I think the NFL should keep him on the list through the summer and let him start 2021 if they are letting him back in.

They agreed to stop suspending for low levels of weed for players not already in a substance abuse program. Those already identified- it is still tested and suspendible at original levels. Not sure how this impacts Josh. They said he did not fulfill his reinstatement requirements- that may mean another positive test, it could mean he skipped certain mandatory counseling meetings, it could mean he was seen out with certain individuals or at certain clubs that were on his banned list because of access to drugs. I did not hear exactly what provision was broken and it sounded based on what I heard that he could get reinstated once those provisions were meet.

Definitely will help on a phone - constantly clicking on either the poster names or title and not going where I want. 👍

I won’t speak for your friend, but just watching him in spot duty last year and the fact that while Cam was out they did not start him and then when he came in against KC was terrible. I think they know he is bad, but what do you get playing Cam at this point.

They are suffering right now what the Bills went through with Trent, EJ, and Tyrod. When the only effective passing game is short to intermediate zones (between 0 and 10 yards) - it draws the entire defense closer to the line. That effectively puts even more guys along the line of scrimmage to kill whatever running game you may have. Then you couple that with an immobile QB and you invite run/pass blitzes making it even worse and it becomes a self-fulfilling circle where gaps are filled - so no running lanes, pressure is coming so you have to get the ball out quickly, the WRs are covered immediately and then also drop to many passes. Now the question becomes (and this is where coaching comes in) - How do you change this in season with the players you have? What options can you adjust in terms of speed/arm strength, mobility, o-line combinations, RB, etc. to either back the defense off or burn them. Right now Tomlin is failing them because this is 5-6 games with these issues and nothing looks different. I don’t care if it is a play or two out of a wildcat with a speedster at QB trying to just get the DC on the opponent to have to adjust to you for a few plays - they need something. As I said early in this thread - I think Tomlin is a master motivator and gets his team fired up on game day, but he is not an X’s and O’s guy. He would be and should be snatched up as another coach as he gets results, but I just do not think he can fix or adjust his team as needed.

I am at the point where I don’t want to see Barkley start a meaningless week 17 game either. I am not sure Fromm gets the call up though. For me I keep Fromm segregated and use a PS call up on Davis Webb. I would rather see what he can do for going forward and use Barkley as a back-up. I have no issues resting the starters and using it like an extra bye week - especially as KC has a real bye week - I would not mind getting some rest in, but the roster is just so small it makes things hard to rest enough people - as we saw last year with McKittrick (LOL) playing DB against the Jets.

Hmm - this seems familiar. I’ll Bite though. Ok first - Thomas is no where near the blocker of Knox, Kroft, or even Gilliam/Smith - so I don’t think he gets the playing time of any other TE in Buffalo. Let’s say - just for the argument - he got the playing time of TE #1 and got their targets instead - he would be at about 30 catches based upon his catch % and the approximately 50 targets. The exact same number of catches as Knox and Kroft - so little improvement. If you want to play the game he would get the same number of targets In Buffalo as he has in Washington - that would be about 90 + targets - which WR are you taking those 60 throws from (Diggs or Beasley). If you think he is getting the 90 targets - that probably means Beasley - who plays that receiving TE role (safety valve) - probably only gets 30-40 targets and since he is a significantly better weapon than Thomas and his catch % is higher - Having Thomas most likely makes the offense worse - you are moving targets from a better player to a worse player. I hope it helps to really understand when you have actual weapons - you do not need a TE to get that many targets - get the ball to you play makers. Even in KC with Hill and Kelce as a great TE - the number 3 receivers are all sitting around 30 - 40 catches. I would much prefer to see my TEs at 30 catches and 2 WRs in the 80-120 catch range.

I know on the Jets board earlier this year they were blasting Palmer because Darnold has shown so little improvement, but I think it is something about Josh and how little he has played QB that helps him make changes. Everything is not solidified in his technique at this point. I don’t know what percentage of growth is Palmer and/or what percentage of that group time is just a frat boy party that relaxes and gets them prepared to learn, but for Josh it works. Then to get into the newer technology to analyze his throws and how to improve and then to rep that - just shows his work ethic. They all say they want to get better, but I firmly believe that it is in his DNA makeup to outwork people because he has always been doubted and that drives him to do those extra reps, watch that extra film, or ask a question to understand what the OC or a WR is seeing. He is also not afraid to change and to adapt and that is sometimes the hardest thing for these kids.

Not only that, but to trust a guy like Kumerow will be in the right spot and make that play is amazing. That was not Diggs or Beasley that he has been with all off season or even a guy like Davis that has been on the team since the off season. This was a late addition to the PS - that got called up to play special teams and yet Allen put the ball perfectly on him like they have run that play a thousand times. Good for both of them - that was impressive to me.

I get what Joe is saying - it is just a different ownership group and coaching staff than was in place when these guys were there. I don’t know that any of them have a relationship with Matt Rhule. I could definitely see interviews, but it is not like if Rivera had still been there with original ownership. Matt will be looking for someone that aligns with him and although it could be any guy off the Bills staff - I don’t see a higher % chance than other open GM spots.

I think it is really an all or nothing. If you are resting guys like Brown, Williams, Morse, maybe Diggs or Beasley (due to nagging injuries) - then I don’t want JA in there with a partial o-line and limited weapons trying to win a game against a team that needs the win. McD has to decide and if he is playing the starters even for a few series - then I want all of them that are able in there playing. If they decide a few members of the o-line or a few WRs cold use a full week off - then give the rest to all the starters you can. I don’t want a missed block by a back-up Tackle or a WR that can’t get open causing Josh to hold on to the ball to create a situation where JA misses a playoff start because we wanted to win. It is a difficult balance for coaches and will be approached differently throughout the league. I just don’t think you play it safe for a few and let others go all out. The same thing occurs if you decide to sit and protect Josh - then I don’t want Diggs or Brown out there because a bad pass by Barkley could cost the team. Make a decision either all in or rest the guys and let the consequences fall where they may.

You are making the assumption #2 versus #3 or #4 matters significantly. In previous years with a bye week - I think it would matter, but to be honest at least on paper right now the #3 seed would most likely be better than the #2 seed. It really depends upon what the Bills want in terms play versus rest. My guess is you see something similar to the last Jets game last year - starters prepare and gameplan and then play 2-3 series (1st quarter) just to stay in practice, but gives them less physical games and built in rest. The game has little meaning and the rest is more important. It may also help to get the Dolphins in and Baltimore out of the playoffs.

I don’t see scenarios. I see a lot of typing about wins and losses. Still way to much to play out. I will look again after Monday’s game.

It has always been one of the biggest issues - part 2 was always getting people in and out and moving around in the stadium (bathrooms and food drinks). Sitting in the stadium spread out and cheering was never the issue. The problem is people want to be together and celebrate before and after.

That is exactly what I want to see. Bench Tua again in the 2nd half - good for their psyche. Then Fitz winning against NE - ideal.

Lower it was just below the knee - could be calf/knee - we will see in the 2nd half - think he is done in NE though.