TheyCallMeAndy

Isn’t giving up on guys in their developmental process is even worse business? Last season was the first year we didn’t bring in legitimate competition for Gabe and he struggled. Staff is quick to point out the high ankle sprain, but his mental game was off. Davis wasn’t a disaster last season, he showed real promise and the good was very good. If the average development timeline is 3 seasons, then teams on average only really get one season, on average, from a pick before their contract is up. That’s why rookie contracts are cheap, on average the first 2 years the player is either a liability or wildly inconsistent.

The problem is we see things from Bills POV only. No one here is watching and following other teams trials and errors to the degree we follow the Bills. So we sit here and say “man, we can’t draft, man, we can’t coach. Everyone else can” when the truth is the things we get frustrated on that we think are Bills-only are actually common issues around the NFL. The only “bad picks” I can think of where the value of scouting reports from NFL.com didn’t match up is Terrel Bernard. Every other pick Beane made was right in line with where they were projected to go. Epenesa actually did step up when Avon went down, his numbers and split’s showed that. Groot wasn’t the same after that high ankle sprain, the data supports that was well. Nearly every single rookie who gets drafted is a “project,” go look at all those 1st and 2nd round picks who media and fan scouts called day 1 starters who haven’t really contributed yet for one reason or another. This isn’t a Bills thing, this is and NFL thing. And yes, Bean drafted the 285 pound AJ Espenesa and 280 pound Boogie Basham want wanted them both to play at 270 which really added a weird wrinkle into their development. If AJ Espenesa posts the same stat line next year and he did this past year and makes improvements in his consistency, then he is a successful and productive 2nd round pick who probably gets a big contract. If Gabe Davis with a new coach can post 10% increase in catch rate and cut down on his drops, you have a fantastic #2 WR who still can probably be a low end #1.

Broken clocks are right twice a day. What did having Cody Ford on the roster for 3 years actually hurt? He was a backup for most of that and you can do worse for a backup. Fans write guys off fast, these days nearly instantly. Coaches know what they saw in their scouting process and believe in their developmental process. The fact so many here think a Gabe Davis, Terrel Bernard, Boogie Basham, or AJ Epenesa can’t improve in year 4 or year 5 and become steady contributors is just hilarious. These guys aren’t an Aaron Maybin who can’t see the field or Mike Williams who clearly just wanted to get paid. These are guys putting in the work and trying to master their craft. AJE actually had a rock solid season last year but it’s written off because he wasn’t that way in year one and two.

I agree with the trade up, we don’t need 7 new players.

I think we are witnessing what life is like as an elite team with an elite QB contract. Bills haven’t went out and made big player changes because they made coaching changes already. They have faith in the guys they have and their developmental process. You can’t complain that we don’t draft well enough then complain when we stick with our guys during their development. Free Agency will probably be boring for years to come.

Sounds like they plan on signing a vet RT, funny thing is we are still technically in week 1 of FA, plenty of time for money to drop.

Can’t help but wonder if he’s bad in meetings or practice

Check out locked on Bills and cover 1 Buffalo podcasts, they had awesome breakdowns!!

Breaking News: Bills fans have no idea what slander is

Conner is 25 and is an above average pass blocker, a football junkie who takes his craft very seriously. Bates is 27 and is a perfectly good OG, both men can be long term starters for this team. Ike was re-signed this summer for one year.

They just signed one.

I mean he’s not talentless. His strengths coming out of college were instincts, great athleticism, and experience in coverage. Cons were size and issues tackling/taking on blockers due to his size. Sound familiar? He was projected 5th that we took in the 3rd. He struggled in his first game with what he was reading, leading to issues that are documented. My reasoning for trust is in the GM who scouted and selected him. I’m hoping Bernard comes through

Totally forgot about that

There is a question. That pick makes no sense if they burned a top 100 draft pick on a guy who will be the primary backup LB. Beane drafted him with a plan, I doubt the plan was career depth and special teams. The 2023 plan at LB will be a heavily discussed and debated topic this summer. Maybe 2023 is the season they move away from the 4-2-5 and start playing more 4-3 than they have the last few years. Then adding a MLB makes sense and Bernard is the other OLB.

There are 2 things I feel pretty confident on: Bills will not go OT in round one unless someone falls and it’s crazy value. If Bernard isn’t the plan at MLB, then we likely see more 3 LB looks in 2023. I highly doubt they’ve given up on him like 90% of this board has. I still think WR or Safety is much more likely, again unless the team plans to play 3 LBers more. WR is more likely IMO. Davis is inconsistent and Diggs is going into his age 29 season.

He’s saying drafting a RT at 27 is the path to mediocrity.

I just saw a tweet that Bills have dinned with OBJ at Allen’s house at some point in the past, I did not know that. I thought “expressing interest” was as far as it’s gone.

If Bills were going to sign OBJ they would’ve already. We’ve seen what Gabe can do at his best, McBeane may want to see what a new WR coach can bring out of him. Gabe’s issues are all mental, he’s gifted physically.

I would agree with that assessment. Ed is a better talent and better statistically, there is a big difference between Ed’s full potential and Ford’s full potential. That said, without doing tons of research (and let’s be honest, no one on this MB does) I would say Ed’s usual performance isn’t a huge jump from Ford’s usual performance. The thing that won’t show up on any stat line is whether Ford can plug up running lanes and keep both out 225 pound LBers clean. I’m very curious to find that out, if Bills can actually sign Ford.

So would I, unload the 10 mill and get a higher floor with a lower ceiling.

Pre-FA none, post FA if a Buffalo reporter brings it up it’s likely, they key thing is the word interest. Interest doesn’t mean visit, so how likely something is to happen is still a stretch. If the player was coming in for a visit, then there is much more to read in on.

I think they mean his straight line speed, which wasn’t great (4.65) but his agility tests were fantastic.

I didn’t get that reading the NFL.com write up. He’s 6’5” 250

I find it hilarious his pro comparison is Edmunds. Instinct and coverage are his biggest a weakness, although both can be over come. I won’t hate it, he has the agility required.

Problem is he is never healthy, this is 3 years in a row.