Shaw66

I know you didn't say it was bad. Interesting that you think 50% is better than average. I don't know at all, but I'd like to get starters on more than 50% of second rounders.

Do you know the league average for guys getting the second contract? And actually, it's 3/6, since Cook is certainly second contract worthy. The question with Cook isn't whether he should be kept; the question is whether he and the Bills can agree on a price. I'd think a 50% yield on second rounders is not bad. Not great, but not bad.

Thank you all. Great information. I passed it on to my friend. Go Bills!

Hmm. I was sure we'd get some responses to this. Is Hammer's closed or something?

I have a friend who's planning a trip with some guys to see the Bengals game, of 4:25 start. He's heard that Hammer'slot is a good place to hang out pregame. He has some questions: Can he park an RV there? Can he stay overnight there? What time should he arrive to get in, or can he get a reservation? Thanks!

I didn't say any of that, so I'm not sure what you're talking about. I expressly said the season doesn't depend on Jackson.

As I said, I agree with your conclusion - pass rush is the paramount problem. That's not overstated. You overstate the importance of Reid/Mahomes. The Chiefs are far from the only threat. Building to beat the Chiefs is a mistake. The Bills have to be able to beat the Ravens, beat the Eagles, beat the Rams, and beat whichever other teams emerge. You overstate when you say Josh guarantees 30 points against the Chiefs. You overstate that it's paramount that Jackson outdo Epenesa's numbers. Jackson is not the only possible answer to enhanced pass rush. That's all overstated.

I think you overstate a lot here, but the basic point is correct: The Bills' most consistently problematic area has been pass rush. Better performance there could have meant a Lombardi or two. I don't think it's a crisis, but the Bills need be better getting after the QB.

I don't have a player for either category. What I know is that McDermott's mantra is continuous improvement, so his players do not regress. Each season, they're better than the previous season - UNTIL their bodies start to regress. There's nothing to be done about that. So, whoever said Milano could be right - last year we may have seen the beginning of his physical regression. White is another one.

Late 70s through the mid-80s. I was living in Connecticut and the Bills games were rarely on TV. There was no way to see them, and there was limited reporting about them on local TV and in the local newspapers. I was newly married, raising young kids, starting a career, and working on an old house. Before then, from 1960, I was all in. As the Bills began building a powerhouse team in the mid- to late-80s, they started showing up on TV more often, and my sons became Bills fans. Have been full bore ever since.

You can feel that way if you want, but I think you're wrong. Are Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Ed Norton, and Bradley Cooper failures because they never won an Oscar? McDermott has coached 8 seasons. If he goes 16 more seasons on the same pace as he's on now, and never wins a Super Bowl, he'll be fifth on the all-time win list. That's failure? Dan Marino was a failure?

You want to trade Beane's magic for magic beans.

I've always heard that phrase the other way around - perfect is the enemy of good, meaning at some point the right thing to do is accept the good and move on. But it's also used the way you've used it. I wasn't suggesting that anyone should settle for as much as the Bills have accomplished and no more. I really was commenting on the fact that the Bills have an outstanding football team - it isn't easy to build a consensus top-three team, and that's what the Bills have done. And now, let's close the deal.

This is good. The Bills have brought in a lot of guys with potential to be upgrades over last year. And have guys developing. They ALL be stars, but neither will ALL of them bust. If Palmer and Moore BOTH emerge, watch out. But even if only one has a nice season, Bills are in good shape. If Hairston shines with Benford, it's a huge upgrade. Bills have other guys who can play the corner if Max grows more slowly. As I said before, some D lineman will emerge. Many fans outside Buffalo don't understand. They see no splash free agents or draftees, and they think there's nothing good going on.

The Bills brought in so much DL help that's SOMEONE is going to make a splash. This defense is going to be a lot better.