Straight Hucklebuck

You would think after 5 seasons Allen would want to have frank discussions with McDermott and Beane about the types of WRs he likes throwing to and what skill sets are missing in their current group.

They definitely don’t go deep too often. That narrative started at the end of the Patriots game when Allen just said enough of this and started throwing. Then the Dolphins Playoff game where Howard Simon had to have a bypass because Allen wasn’t taking the “easy button” throws. Just get better WRs. It’s a lot of talking. Kurt Warner showed there are plenty of checkdowns designed into the offense. Team scored 27 ppg Weeks 1-9 and 32 in weeks 9-18.

Diggs plays 75% of snaps and checks himself out of the game. Davis was 90%+ plus last year, that can come down, we have a baseline on his 2020-2021 seasons. Ideally the rookie can play outside or inside right away. Leaving full time ownership of the slot up for grabs between Zachheaus and Shakir. Slayton was phased out of New York but I thought he was productive when on the field, he’d be a great flex WR and bars against injury. McKenzie being brought back is really a non-starter. He has no role other than slot gadget and just gets in the way of Shakir.

Chiefs Trade Hill and still win SB - WIN Titans Trade AJ Brown and don't make Playoffs - LOSS Packers Trade Adams and don't make Playoffs - LOSS Texans Trade Hopkins and fall apart - LOSS Cowboys Give away Cooper and now are looking for more weapons - LOSS Vikings Trade away Diggs and immediately draft Jefferson - WIN 2 Wins verses 4 Losses, doesn't seem likely this helps the Bills.

I think the Bills need to diversify. Diggs isn’t enough. And where was Stefon in Kansas City 2021?

The media working their hardest to manifest a story out of mid-air. Whose on Diggs short list? The Bengals? The Chiefs? The Eagles? 49ers? Or really he has to get to Dallas so he can play with Dak Prescott? He’s been paid and he gets more exposure on National TV here then he did in Minnesota. Hope he got real with Beane and McDermott in his exit interview, but no way you’re leaving Buffalo.

He fits the profile of the veteran WR that Beane signs in FA. Emmanuel Sanders, Jamison Crowder, John Brown, Cole Beasley. All around 30 when the Bills came calling.

Yes, I do the same thing. In the case of Bijan Robinson. Assume he's there at 27. The Bills pass. It's a running back, we don't take running backs in the first round in the modern NFL. Okay. But then the Bengals take Bijan Robinson. Now their offense gets the best RB in the draft. They become even harder to beat. You can't ultimately make decisions on your franchise, but the "what did we pass up" is a post-mortem analysis that I think makes sense.

If these are the available players, I would order it as the following: 1. WR - Hyatt 2. TE - Mayer 3. C - Schmitz 4. G - Torrence 5. TE - Kincaid 6. RB - Gibbs

Yeah you’re right, my bad, he’s Mossing guys constantly out there.

Yes John, and then they stopped. Diggs is an A player. After that it’s been to the clearance rack and Goodwill - Saffold, Van Roten, Feliciano, Daryl Williams, Quesenberry, Emmanuel Sanders, Jamison Crowder, bringing back Beasley and John Brown. Sorry Sean you don’t get more resources for your prevent defense.

I too listen to Marino. I find his 30-minute shows easier to digest than the 1-hour + free-form podcasts on Cover 1 where Aaron dominates the conversation, talks over everyone, and simps out for the Bills weapons. With that out of the way, I doubt this make a hole, fill a hole mentality goes all the way back to Ralph's cheapness in the mid-2000-2010, but that's what it feels like. Not going to re-sign Clements? Cornerback becomes the #1 need on the team. Jarius Byrd walks in FA, now we're looking at Safety's. It's a good point you make on Oliver. The Bills have had a rotating band of DTs coming in FA with Star L, Vernon Butler, Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle. They let Harrison Phillips walk in FA, so what has Oliver shown that makes him a much better strategy? He lacks size, there is no getting around that. He has to be a superior one on one pass rusher, and gap penetrator to provide value to this team. He's been okay, but if we're being honest, we're living off hope because of his draft status. He's 4 years in now, and he's been an okay player. He flashes here and there. But if the Bills went out and signed another FA DT, would their defensive statistics drop off a table? Brett Kollmann on WGR saying Bills need to go DT in Round 1 and come back in Round 2 with a linebacker if Edmunds walks, and Schopp is like wow, these are great points. They talked about how you wouldn't anticipate Diggs declining yet, how Davis wasn't bad, just needed to be more consistent. I think where I come out on this is the defense feels homegrown to fans and the FO. I think it is tied to the team turning it around in 2017 and two positional groups that have not changed for 5-years. At Safety it's been Hyde and Poyer since they signed as FAs together 5+ years ago in 2017. Likewise, at LB, it's been Edmunds and Milano starting together since 2018. For good measure, White has been a fixture since 2017, Taron Johnson since 2018. So, I think there is this notion that we have to keep the back 7 of this defense together at all costs. And, this is why if Edmunds leaves, we kneejerk to filling that with the best possible replacement we can. It's still McDermott and Frazier continuity. On offense, Beane's approach has been heavy reliance on Free Agents, and after Morse, cheap free agents rotating in. I think the FO has gotten used to a QB that dodges pressure. The last Offensive Lineman the Bills drafted that would be considered good is Dawkins in 2017. So overall, I think Beane and this FO stopped trying to add elite talent on offense after Diggs in 2020. He was rebuffed by Antonio Brown, got Diggs on his 3rd try, used a first, saw the offense take off in 2020, and has largely acted like his work there was done. Plaster over the holes on the offensive line, go bargain shopping free agency and the middle rounds of the draft, it's okay if Boettger, Bates, Doyle, Brown take a while to develop, we don't run the ball much anyways, and Allen can get us out of trouble. Dawson Knox is the starting TE, and the Bills have done the bare minimum to add to that group. WRs? Diggs in 2020, back to the bargain bin with Emmanuel Sanders and Jamison Crowder, while as you pointed out, McDermott was getting his rotation on the Defensive Line. Yes, the defense will get worse without Edmunds and Poyer. But I think this is why being the 2013-2015 Seattle Seahawks is a hard model to copy. It is hard to keep an entire defense together year after year. Guys get old quickly, they get expensive. The Chiefs have figured this out moving on from Mathieu, trading Fenton, let's see the Bengals approach this offseason - do they pull out all the stops to keep Pratt, Bates, Bell, Tre Flowers (doubtful), Eli Apple (doubtful)? I think our local media sees itself as an offensive team, but their construction suggests McDermott has considerable sway on the personnel and he sees this team as needing a Top 10 defense to win.

I agree on his stiffness, the upright running style. But at 6'2" he is the tallest WR on the Bills, and you just don't see any contested catch with Gabe Davis. Yes, I know he ripped the ball out of Levi Wallace's hands, but he doesn't pluck the ball away from defenders in a crowd, fight through small spaces on the field. He really only seems to be able to catch footballs when he can get a runway and have green grass in front of him. Or its the comeback route off the go. He makes the Patriots catch, that's 50 yards and a TD, and the 70-yard Jets heave and he's at 1000 yards and 8 TDs on the year. To me, there is room to squeeze more production out of that skill set if he (like Josh) hits the weight room and gets into better shape.

Jalin Hyatt would lean into what Allen does best. And here’s the thing as I think about, slot verses outside ability. JSN is viewed as a slot only. Zay Flowers is 5’9” - 5’10” and Addison is 5’10” - 5’11”. Can either of those guys profile as an Antonio Brown on the outside? Addison reads as a slightly more complete WR, a bit taller, with the same speed. Josh Downs is a slot only. The Bills need both. A outside WR to challenge Gabe Davis, and someone to take ahold of the slot. Hyatt played a ton out of the slot in college to allow free vertical release, but could he offer the most versatility on the outside and slot, and allow Diggs slot reps? Best comp I’ve seen for him is Amon-ra Saint Brown

I like Jalin Hyatt, but after he runs a 4.28 40, he won’t be available at #27. Really, if the Bills get any of the top WRs - JSN, Addison, Hyatt, Flowers that would be a win.

If Edmunds comes back, it's a ton of investment into this defense. Von Miller - $100M contract Daquan Jones - FA contract Ed Oliver - 1st Round pick Greg Rousseau - 1st Round pick Matt Milano - 2nd contract Edmunds - 2nd contract Taron Johnson - 2nd contract Tre'Davious White - 2nd contract Kaiir Elam - 1st Round pick Micah Hyde - Contract Extension w/Bills You're right, scab at LB and Safety and get bye. We have this guy on WGR now saying the Bills should be going for a run stuffing DLineman or LB in the draft now......... How much more can you give McDermott and his Coaches to work with?

I like cutting McKenzie. Don't bring Brown, Beasley, Kumerow or Crowder back. Sign Olamide Zaccheaus and Darius Slayton. Then draft a R1 WR. This flushes out the Bottom 3 WRs. Cheap veterans this team can afford in their mid-20's. Elite traits WR that buffers Gabe Davis leaving after next year. Regardless, Beane has to have it in his head that one #1 WR is not enough. Diggs is not enough. Stack weapons.

Well our current #2 has a gut and zero muscle definition, going against NFL corners. I think most fans accept that the Bills trusted Gabe to step up and he failed. He plays out Year 4 and then leaves. In the meantime, Bills have this season and will need to use next season finding replacements for Gabe and hedging against the inevitable Diggs decline due to age.

Keith Ellison John Digiorgio Coy Wire John Wendling Nic Harris Alvin Bowen Tony Steward Kiko Alonso Terrell Bernard This team has a history of trying to convert Safety into Linebackers. The Bills hit on Milano, but I agree with this comment and others that the mindset of this team is to play prevent defense. Anything but "get beat over the top" seems to be the goal.

Let Edmunds go, and draft Simpson? Honestly, let Edmunds walk and sign a cheaper FA. With only 6-picks, its starting to look like the Bills are going to have to trade back and acquire more picks. When you listen to Locked on Bills, its like Bills should take a middle rounder S, LB, DT, DE. There aren't enough draft picks for this.

Yeah, what was going on behind the scenes as to why Shakir wasn't on the field in place of McKenzie, and why they continued to use the "it's hard to get someone up to speed" excuse for Hines. He caught 7 balls in his first game ever in the NFL, with 12 total touches. In Buffalo, he touched the ball 11 times on offense after the November 1st trade.

Outside of Beane trading down, I'm not sure how the Bills expect to have enough picks to invest more into the Defensive Line with draft picks. Round 1 Oliver Round 1 Rousseau Round 2 Epenesa Round 2 Basham FA Miller How much more investment does there need to be? Coach these guys up. Impact pass rushers are hard to find in Late Round 1, let alone in the middle rounds. Resign Lawson, and go with what you have. Same as running back. Sorry, not enough resources to try and get a better room there, with huge needs at OL, WR, S and probably LB as Edmunds is supposed to test FA.

I feel as if our #2 WR needs a better physique than this to maximize his productivity in the NFL.

Drew Allar straight to Bills backup QB (yes I know he’s not eligible)

He’s old and expensive. They had a Bucs analyst on WGR this week that talked about the draft, the team. And he said that Evans is beloved in Tampa. He loves it there, and is a Bucs Wall of Famer. The Bills get these guys too late.