Ayjent

The 2022 draft was really solid but I always considered Elam a real head scratcher from go for the Bills - he didn't seem to have traits that the Bills utilized and in my opinion was not a day 1 or 2 talent - he was a terrible, terrible tackler, was awful at getting off blocks, lost his man way too frequently in coverage, and never seemed to be coordinated with the rest of the secondary (don't get me wrong Napier's teams are poorly coached so there is definitely that). He did make some great plays from time to time, but he wasn't ever consistent and teams actually went at him knowing this. Probably one of the most overrated Gator prospects ever (I know, I know Anthony Richardson and Kadarius Toney would like a word). I thought he was a liability watching him play for the Gators and I think the best tape he had was the season before he was drafted, but I'm really surprised so many teams had him rated so highly after an uneven season. Athletically he has all of the tools, but the evidence of how he used them was there for everyone to see. I remember being very low on him entering the draft and even calling him the most overrated player in it, and a guy that I hoped the Bills would stay away from. When they drafted him I trusted that they knew what they were doing and tried to rationalize that Napier's staff were and still are awful at Xs and Os and teaching technique (not so much now on the Defensive side - although they are much more talented than they've been in the past few years), but when they were reluctant to put him out there and started Benford it was clear that they realized pretty fast that it was the player as much as the coaching and other factors. Benford was a great pick, but Elam was an equally awful one. No one hits every pick, not even close, but it does make you wonder how in depth teams evaluate players, because I'd like to think they are thorough but at times its pretty clear that they might sell themselves on things that are overlooking the obvious.

Shakir is the most essential player of those 4 to either team, because he is such a big part of the Bills underneath passing game. That's their bread and butter. Rice has statistically had the best season of any of the 4, but off-field conduct and injuries have made him largely unavailable for some time now, and I don't think any team would be wise to take on that. Worthy is a deep threat and RAC threat if he gets the ball in space, but he is a worthless blocker and we'll see if durability and nagging conditions start to become issues as he works back from the shoulder injury as sometimes happens with diminutive WRs (not saying that will be the case). I think the jury is still out on both Coleman and Worthy and what they could be. FWIW I think Coleman has been on the wrong side of some really bad refereeing - the last 2pt conversion attempt vs the Ravens was DPI and holding (take your pick), and the OPI vs the Jets was a trash call because the Jets' DB tripped all over himself and the ref assumed it was bc of Coleman pushing off. However, I think Coleman also has the highest ceiling of any of these 4 players.

This is unfortunately all true. There are many reasons why, but it comes down to coaching as much as talent in the playoffs, especially when it comes to who you have to rely on in those games due to a season's worth of injuries. The Bills have good coaching, but I think there is a very strong argument that the Chiefs have had better coaching with the combination of Reid and Spags. I think the Bills are now at a place where they are much better than the Chiefs on the Offensive side, but there is still better scheme, talent, and coaching on the Defensive side for the Chiefs which makes it a challenge for our Offense and our Defense hasn't been good enough to expose the Chiefs' Offensive woes like other teams have. I also think the type of WRs the Chiefs value is much different than the Bills - they want speed all over the place, while the Bills seem like they value possession, size, blocking and creativity/effort when Josh goes off script. They don't seem too intent on making sure they have a guy that can blow the top off of the secondary.

I think teams aren’t good at evaluating WRs and maybe it is hard to do but I also think if you watch enough college ball you can have a really good idea of who is good based on how they play versus the best competition, what flaws they display and how much they win there reps. I thought it was a joke when Kadarius Toney was a 1st round pick. Although his final season at Florida was much better than his other seasons he was still baffling in some of his decision making once he had the ball in his hands, wasn’t all that sure handed and was not a good route runner. Sure had speed and could be elusive, but those other negatives were there for everyone to see and they didn’t go away as a pro. He also had some character issues to boot. (FWIW Elam had equally concerning flaws with tackling and losing receivers on their cuts). My point is that scouting is not an exact science and sometimes the amount of due diligence isn’t as high as everyone perceives it. There is hubris that some talent can be developed to correct issues but generally that is a poor strategy. I will still hold that for the most part great talents in the NFL usually show themselves pretty early and the guys that take time to emerge as great players are more of an exception than rule. You could tell Shakir was a good player his first year, even though the Bills were reluctant to give him more snaps. You could tell Josh had something unique his rookie year when he QB’d the upset over the Vikings.

Definitely - I think you are spot on about all of that. Bishop had me really concerned going into the season as someone that they weren't quite ready to trust and that they may put Damar back out there. I think Damar is a good dude and has done great things for so many since being in that scary situation, and for all of that I really respect the hell out of him. However, as a football player he appears to have the concept of what needs to be done and his assignment down, but he is just entirely limited as a player that has the natural speed and instincts to be anything short of a liability that has to be taken into account to how the team plays Defense. And the Defense wasn't totally bad last year with him out there, but it wasn't very good against coordinators and teams that knew how and had the talent to attack the Bills (see McVay's playcalling last year as the Bills couldn't answer any questions the Rams were asking). But back to Bishop, the one thing that gave me some confidence that the Bills were ready to trust him was how he was slotted into the starting role and the coaches didn't seem to be wavering from that. I don't necessarily think he has a kung-fu grip on the starting spot, because he still needs to prove he is more than just serviceable player. I'm hoping for the best, but also a bit skeptical until I see consistent play over multiple regular season performances. I do wonder how much they may utilize Jordan Hancock and can see him potentially in a hybrid slot CB/safety role and most likely in the Dime packages. Maybe he's not good enough, yet, but he was flashing potential in the preseason for whatever that means. I do think it means that the player has the ability to play at the NFL level, but you can't get carried away because its the preseason and you aren't facing everyone's best players or best efforts. At the end of the day the roster doesn't look as imposing as the Ravens on paper, but what the Bills seem to be morphing into is a team that can adjust and has depth to make such adjustmetns. You've seen the full transformation of that concept on the Offensive side and I feel like the Defensive side is catching up to that same concept, and we'll see if this is the year they are able to establish it. I do think teams are going to try to be physical and dare the Bills D to plan man, and they know it, too.

I remember seeing that from the side angle and thought it was Dorian - Hall got blown the f up. That's how you have to play with Dorian. Let him get down hill and use his strengths. Don't make him try to be Milano, let him be what he is good at. You can't do that every down, and he will need to cover and make plays in other ways, but why not take advantage of his strengths.

To do that they must have earned the coaching staff's trust, because we have seen guys that have not and later we come to understand why. Maybe they've changed their approach some (out of necessity or out of changing the recipe to see what happens), but I don't think they'd do anything to disrespect the other players efforts at other positions or on the depth chart at the same position. I like Walker's potential and think he'll be a great player for the Bills. I think games are the most teachable moments if you can afford them and the player isn't a disaster when they are out there. I also think it lets them show what they can do well, and how to tweak their game and the D to those strengths.

I used to hate when the Bills played the Chargers because Bosa was disruptive and I believe may have even given Josh a pretty good pummeling a few times. The Bills just played two of the most elusive QBs they'll face to start the season. Jackson is on another level compared to Fields, but Fields can really move too. It is hard to keep contain on these guys and rush lane integrity as you are fighting to get by the OL. I'll take losing contain a few times if it means getting sacks and fumbles, because keeping contain without getting home allows a guy to be comfortable in the pocket and that doesn't usually bode well for the back end. If Sanders and Walker develop, Oliver keeps up his level of play and the guys coming off of suspension contribute meaningfully, they are going to be formidable and much different by the end of the season than when they played the Ravens.

Fair enough. Thankfully we didn't have to find out.

Agree on both points. I think the Bills are playing a game of not being dependent on any particular player other than Josh too much. Ideally you draft and develop a talent somewhere near AJ Brown but that is a home run. The Bills have drafted and developed talent though with Shakir, and still a wait and see with Kincaid and Coleman, but these guys all have unique skill sets that allow the Bills to adjust to what defenses present and that is what makes this team so difficult to play defense against. Sure they have limitations in deep routes and sometimes in getting open, but I wouldn't put the ability to get over the hump of getting a championship on them. It would be nice to see Coleman become a revelation and develop into a Mike Evans type threat, but the Bills aren't going to take the top off of many defenses, and the defenses don't really seem inclined to give the Bills many opportunities to do that the way they play them anyhow.

That sounds like an awesome day. It is simply great have a quarterback, especially one that didnt need to do much in order for the team to win, but could have, if necessary.

It had to do with both the offense and defense, it was a team win - the Offense ran the ball well, made plays when it needed them in the passing game, and had over 400 yards. The D played well and dominated the Jets on the first few drives to set the tone. So yeah the D played their asses off, and they contributed to the win as much as the O did. It doesn't have to be either one or the other, it can be both things.

Because its what makes a 7.5 point favorite have a 20pt victory. They know they can unleash the passing game if they need to, they just didn't really need to. Running shortened the game, rested the Bills D and wore down the Jets D. And when people say this team is only Josh Allen on Offense this game says much differently. They could have probably won this game by the same margin with Mitchapalooza.

I thought it was exactly the right game plan. They were going to try to rely on their DL and press with man coverage, and that their best chance to win was to get ahead and force the Bills to pass. The Bills never let them get in that position and ran the ball to neutralize and wear down their pass rushers. They used PA effectively too. It’s not flashy but it was dominant. That’s even with a couple of drops that should have been completed (e.g., Knox in flat on roll out). Also, I love that they are showing that Josh can roll left and make plays. Keon is also showing an ability to run the comeback really well which is a great route against man, especially if you are getting the cover man to turn his hips before the cut. This Bills offense under Brady has shown it can beat you many ways and that is why I think he is doing a great job.

Thats their perogative but it comes with risk of injury. So if it bites them the focus will be on why he was out there.