Straight Hucklebuck

Nailed it. Example was him not fighting hard enough to get that 3rd-2 against the Chiefs. Allowed himself to get tackled short of the mark.

I really hope so. I want there to be some urgency in this FO now. The cap strapped draft, develop and low-end FA supplement model is unlikely to get the Bills ahead.

Yeah - I think with Kincaid what we’re seeing is a guy we wish was 1-2 inches taller, 10-pounds heavier, ran in the 4.60’s instead of the 4.70’s and was stronger. He did none of that testing because of a back injury. His athleticism just doesn’t set him apart in a meaningful way. The Bills are paying Dawson Knox $14.8M dollars in 2025 and he’s in a timeshare with Kincaid. Thats glaringly inefficient use of positional value. I’ve said it in other threads, I think the Bills should get out of the Kincaid business now and trade him while he still has term and youth on his side. Beane drafted a 24-year old rookie. He’ll be 26 next season and IMO is unlikely to significantly improve stylistically from what he is now - namely a possession tight end. Allen gets the blame for the missed throws to Kincaid down the field, but what if the player was a tick faster? At the end of his rookie deal he’d be 29-years old needing a new contract. Avoid all of that now because I do not want the Bills to pick up his 5th-year option. Whatever the Bills thought they were getting with the 12-personnel option has not manifested. And Beane himself said Knox is everything they want in a Tight End already in terms of size, strength (said this in direct comparison to Kincaid), leadership. And he’s in his prime right now.

Thoughts on Isaiah Bond? Yeah I mean with Johnson, Smoot, Jefferson, Phillips all FAs and Von and Jones another year older the defensive line is facing a complete rebuild. Who is banking on D.Carter to be a cornerstone based on what we saw in 2024? I’m struggling with this team - I really didn’t like anything about the tone or message of Beane’s end of year press conference. Looking for any sign that he’s not going to do the same thing this offseason - he did mention looking at both lines to strengthen and that’s something that I would like to see - an investment at Guard. That’s a spot that could be improved on.

You’re 100% right - spotty is not a good description. Also - great points on knowing the right time to trade up - (Addison, Flowers run in 2023) and the Brian Thomas falling to #23 and the Bills not doing what it took to move up 4-spots. I find myself thinking that roll the ball back out there approach is not going to work, it hasn’t. If we do the usual low end FA WR and Day 3 pick route it’s not going to work. Can the Bills devise a new scheme to create an advantage? It’s stupid and wouldn’t work - but something like finding a way to draft both Judkins and Henderson and pairing them with Cook? If Brady’s scheme is run centric anyways (and in my mind Beane and McDermott only deserve one more year to get it done)? Or draft Donovan Jackson to strengthen Edwards Guard spot and get another athletic back because you’re not going to re-sign Ty Johnson and Ray Davis is not a limiting factor. Or try the tall WR route with Coleman, Savion Williams and re-sign Mack Hollins. Trade Kincaid now for a pick, but I feel like this GM needs to chart a new thought process that deviates from what they’ve been trying over and over to do - which is the pay your balanced core philosophy.

I don’t know how he watched the 2023 Divisional against the Chiefs and concluded he did enough on offense, but in 2024 he did the same thing. Low end FA investment and bare minimum draft investment. It’s been like that from the moment he stopped caring about WR2 and signed Emmanuel Sanders out of retirement. I mean who is holding out for Dalton Kincaid to become the #1 target in this offense? Anybody? Did Beane get that pick correct? He certainly watched all the WRs get picked on a run right in front of him, and by all accounts the Bills liked Addison the most and he’s been a spotty deep threat as a #2. You mention the Carolina philosophy and it’s killing this team. The Eagles have cap space and two elite WRs. Made the best trade in the past 5-years for AJ Brown. Allen keeps the Bills in that conversation (at least for one more day) but Beane is no Howie Roseman - and that’s who you’re going up against - Roseman, Veach, DeCosta. I just shake my head at the 2024 Draft how you could only end up with one can’t separate WR that plays exactly like his Scouting Reports said he would and yet they still put him at the X. What faith does any fan have about this aspect of the team?

This is the same conclusion - this GM needs to act with more urgency. The Kevyn Adams act from Beane is getting old listening to how development is non-linear. Just completed Year 7 and Josh Allen has never played with an elite deep threat. You see it time and time again in these Playoff games that he wants to, and is able to make big throws down the field. But Allen is straining to make these plays, there is pressure because the group lacks athleticism. Another press conference talking about knocking on doors, re-signing your own players, the Bills being close. Defensively, what can you say - the whole idea as Sal Capaccio is more than happy to remind everyone constantly is to keep “plays in front of you” so what is that supposed to look like against the best QBs in the world? Well especially if in the case of Hines and Cooper your GM is just going to tell you how hard it is to pick up the offense mid season. Hines’ usage was a joke from the moment he got here and so was Cooper’s for that matter.

Allen needs help. He needs a smarter GM and a better coach. The skill position talent that he is trying to drag to the Super Bowl has been below average for his entire career in Buffalo. His GM got him Stefon Diggs in 2020 and then STOPPED. Look at these players - Robert Foster, Duke Williams, Cole Beasley, John Brown, Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie, Jake Kumerow, Jamison Crowder, Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty, Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper, Kahlil Shakir. Draft picks like Justin Shorter, Ray Ray McLoud, Austin Proehl, Marquez Stephenson, Isaiah Hodgins. Running backs over the years - Frank Gore in 2019, Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, Leonard Fournette, Damian Harris, Latavius Murray, Ty Johnson, James Cook, Ray Davis, Matt Breida, TJ Yeldon in 2019. Nobody to pair with Diggs to form a deep WR group in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Cole Beasley and John Brown were both 30-years old when Allen got them and aged out in Buffalo after two seasons 2019 and 2020. Gabe Davis in the 4th-Round was the highest drafted Beane WR until Keon Coleman. I think the 1,000-yard stare is knowing that you have to carry the offense and you don’t have a guy that can get open. Diggs is the sole leg for Beane to stand on. Otherwise Allen has been left to fend for himself in these Playoff games with a weak supporting cast. There continues to be no significant investment at WR. And this doesn’t cover the obvious problems with a McDermott scheme on defense and the same mediocre players on that side of the ball - #2 corner, DT, Safety ect.

The worry I have with Beane (that really started with the Emmanuel Sanders signing in 2021) is the idea that Allen can carry below average skill groups to a Super Bowl victory. Because of Beane’s pay your own philosophy the cap is maxed out, the roster is full of ok-to decent players he’s drafted My worry again is on offense. This idea that we scored 30-ppg and Brady stays so we’re good to go if we re-sign Mack Hollins, Ty Johnson and bank on Keon Coleman’s growth has history behind it that it’s not going to work. The 2024-WR Draft was maybe as good of a draft stretching back to the 2014-Draft. And the Bills ended up with one WR whose route tree dwindled to desperation fades as the season went on. When will Beane draft and acquire WRs like he knows Josh Allen is on this team?

Bills FAs: Amari Cooper Rasul Douglas Austin Johnson Mack Hollins Dawaune Smoot Reggie Gilliam Ty Johnson Quinton Jefferson Jordan Phillips Reid Ferguson Quinton Morris - RFA Tommy Doyle Damar Hamlin Alec Anderson - ERFA Out of that group - Hollins, Ty Johnson, Reid Ferguson, and do the bare minimum to keep Alec Anderson maybe. But honestly, would I disagree with letting all of these players walk? No. The problem is the same for the Bills - cap space - 29th heading into 2025. 3rd-year in a row that the Bills have no room. Von and Oliver counting $44M against the cap. Dawson Knox $14.6M - something has to be done with that contract. Matt Milano $15.8M is not a bargain.

Would make up for the 2019 2nd-Round disaster authored by Brandon Beane.

I think the offensive talent is underwhelming - Myles Garrett will take all the available cap space this team has and multiple assets.

I listen to Brandon Beane and its a lot of Chiefs praise, excuses about injuries and new players needing time to gel. His core philosophy is to keep "kicking the door down" until it breaks by re-signing our own players and filling in the gaps through FA with limited cap space. It's an approach that hasn't worked, and has left Allen with a knife during Playoff gunfights over and over again. I don't believe in Sean McDermott or Brandon Beane to give Allen enough firepower to win a single Super Bowl. Beane saying you can't pin it on Sean McDermott. He's a 7-7 Playoff Coach who had ample opportunity across several seasons to advance to a Super Bowl. I think loss Wildcard (0-1), loss Wildcard (0-2), win Wildcard (1-2), Win Divisional (2-2), loss AFCCG (2-3), win Wildcard (3-3), loss Divisional (3-4), win Wildcard (4-4), loss Divisional (4-5), win Wildcard (5-5), loss Divisional (5-6), win Wildcard (6-6), win Divisional (7-6), loss AFCCG (7-7) has defined the line that this staff can't get over. This is not a one or two year barrier. Furthermore: 1. If Allen is able to win one (1) Super Bowl with the Bills, we're going to look back and say happy for all the fans, family, friends and the city to finally get one, but did we maximize Allen's career? 2. I've followed Buffalo sports forever, and eventually that usually means your best players asking for a trade out of town because your team can't get it done. Sorry if you don't want to hear that. Bottom Line: McDermott and Beane are not entitled to Allen's entire career. Next season he is 29 years-old. 8 years in. I think it should be McDermott and Beane's last year in Buffalo barring a Super Bowl victory. They've had 1/2 of Allen's career now. They had enough chances to get him a #1 WR and pair that #1 WR with a complete WR group so that in this big games, it's not veteran minimum free agents that Allen has to throw passes to in order to overcome a defense that allows 32-ppg.

Beane’s press conference was more of the same philosophy. The blue print hasn’t changed at all - overvalue our own players, run the cap up, restructure to create room, and sign low end Free Agents. I expect more “team first” guys in the Draft with low ceilings. He wants you to know how close the team is and to pay attention to those 13-wins.

Oh really? What were the Bills WRs really going to do against Cooper DeJean, Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell?

Yeah this is the same junkyard offense around Josh Allen that he’s had since he got here in 2018. Not one deep threat or athletic mismatch on the field. NOT ONE. Honestly, what objections would I have if the Bills got their hands on Tyler Warren and shipped Dalton Kincaid out of here? Sorry Ty Johnson and Ray Davis, maybe Henderson or Judkins represent athletic upgrades. Could not disagree with this OP more. The talent on this roster is average everywhere.

Beane completely glossing over Keon Coleman - got asked directly at 28:30 about how Coleman and Kincaid can practically impact the game - and it's nothing but a Kevyn Adams Part 2.0 - development is non-linear and they'll just get better. For both of them its the level of athlete - Kincaid has never shown dominant TE performance at the NFL level - before or after the knee injury so that's a load of crap. He was 24 years old as a rookie, and he runs a 4.70+. He's shown he is a nice possession Tight End. WGR can hold their breaths waiting for the breakout Dalton Kincaid game. Coleman - He can most likely improve his route running, and there are track trainers that can improve his speed (look at the work Donald Driver has talked about in the past, or Christian McCaffrey), but he is an un-useable right now as a player. He runs one route and its a 40% jump ball with no separation.

I'm 11:23 into this presser and half of it so far has been kissing the Chiefs rumps for how good they are. Twice Beane tells everyone "they're going for 3 in a row". 13:55 and we're back to giving credit to the Chiefs. Amari - we got the usual its hard to come in and pick up an offense, he got injured, he's partially here to draw attention away from the other people, "peoples expectations" that he'd be our #1 - I don't know Beane, you tell me, you watched Allen go 9/30 against the Texans and thought to make that deal, not the fans. Being "so close" - Are we that close Brandon? If you don't get the #1 seed you have to win 4 games to be a Champion. This team got 2/4. We got half way there. This team has paid the price for their lack of investment in skill position around Josh Allen. No homer fan can convince me otherwise. Beane traded for Diggs in 2020 and has stopped trying to add WRs since that point. You can see what Allen wants to do in these big games - throw the ball down the field - and time and time and time and time again he's throwing to Trent Sherfield, Duke Williams, Pat DiMarco, Mack Hollins, Gabe Davis - where are the PLAYMAKERS Beane? Year 7-8 of Josh Allen and he has zero deep threat - none - for his entire career in Buffalo. Beane is the GM when the Bills draft bust Cody Ford and pass on both AJ Brown and DK Metcalf, Beane is the GM that trades with the enemy out of the first round to draft a 4.61 WR that by all accounts CAN'T SEPARATE - and guess what??? - he can't separate from NFL corners - SHOCKER. This notion that Keon was breaking out before the injury - he had 1 catch against the Dolphins on 2 targets. Meanwhile it's a lot of Gabe Davis, Ray Ray McLoud, Justin Shorter, Khalil Shakir being asked to be your #1 WR, Marquez Stevenson, Isaiah Hodgins, Austin Proehl - all Day 3 picks representing minimal investment. Cole Beasley, John Brown, Jamison Crowder, Trent Sherfield, Emmanuel Sanders, Deonte Harty, Curtis Samuel, Isaiah McKenzie, Jake Kumerow. You sit there Beane and say "a lot of teams would like to be in our shoes" - whatever man - we're halfway through Allen's career now and you have shown that you'll never get the game changing athletes that Allen wants to throw to in order to score enough to overcome McDermott's weak defensive scheme. Sorry that's 2003-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers. That's a front lawn with torn apart Camaros and Taurus SHOs. This team has a generational QB and you'll be lucky to even appear in one Super Bowl.

Nah I ain’t doing that. The whole this makes me feel better to say ah chucks we’ll get them next time.

Take all next year and start conducting interviews and get the research done. Fire Beane and McDermott. They've had half of Josh’s career to get it done and they’ve failed.

Cooper DeJean, Darius Slay, Mitchell, Blankenship, Gardner-Johnson aren’t going to let 2000 year old JuJu Smith Schuster run wide open, or get out leveraged by Xavier Worthy.

Well there is an out for Allen, one all too familiar for star players in Buffalo - and that’s when he inevitably asks for a trade.

Gotta love that 25 year old LB we took from Washington. Davis was in that group of 4th Round RBs - Wright, Guerrendo, Allen and he was just as productive as them. Bishop is an absolute disaster. Completely lost in coverage and in space. Also you see those 29” arms when he goes to tackle.

Coleman F Bishop FFFFFFF Carter D Davis B+ SVPG INC Ulofoshio F Solomon C Grable C

Beane does suck. What a gigantic fail that once again your franchise QB has no deep threat to throw to. Not one real field stretcher on the entire team. Not one playmaker at WR.