Shaw66

No poor tacklers need apply.

Seems like every year there are two or three corners who remain on the market longer than I would expect.

I didn't know it was Carmello. He was pretty good. Who were the other two?

I found this very interesting on a lot of fronts. Essay follows. I didn't hear the McDermott or Beane post-season press conferences, but I understand from threads here that one or both commented that Keon didn't come back from his injury with the attitude that he needed to be an impact player. I heard Keon saying sort of the same thing, except that the way he presented it sounded like he learned the lesson quickly. I gather McBeane said he didn't learn the lesson until the season ended and they told him he needed to get his back on straight. I don't hold it against Keon for putting a more positive spin on the situation while talking to a public audience. It highlights one of the problems from going from college to the pros. If you're Keon Coleman and you get injured in college, regardless of how the team may have adjusted while you're out, you're so good that when you come back, the team immediately adjusts back to making you the key player. Why? Because you're so good compared to the competition that going back to what you do is almost always better than however the team adjusted. In the pros, it doesn't work that way unless you're LaMarr Chase or Justin Jefferson or one or two others. Most of the rest of the receivers in the pros were stars in college, but in the pros injured guys have to earn their way into the lineup, every week. Why? Because the adjusted lineup is usually just as good as the lineup when they were in it, and there's no reason to switch back just because they're available again. Especially when, as Keon said, you're on a good team. Keon didn't understand that when he was coming back. He had this inflated of view of himself that was reinforced because he had had a couple of good games. He thought he'd earned an automatic reentry into the lineup because he was headed toward a 1000 yard-season. When he didn't get back into the rotation, apparently instead of doubling down to do whatever he could to force his way into the lineup, he stalled. We hope he learned that lesson. There are a lot of interesting things about this situation. One is that he said his goals are yards, receptions, TDs and the Super Bowl. He won't be all that he can be for the Bills until he forgets the yards, receptions, TD part. All that matters is winning, and that means that individual stats don't matter. Period. I'd guess that if you asked Shakir how he'd feel about starting, having season stats of zero catches for zero yards and zero TDs and winning a Super Bowl ring, he would say without hesitation, "sign me up." He'd say that because he understands that if he's good enough to start, then whatever he's doing is contributing to the team's success. Keon needs to get there. Another interesting thing is how this demonstrates the in-season effectiveness of McDermott's philosophy. When you play the game without stars, when you learn to win without stars, then you can survive injuries much more easily. Keon Coleman gets injured, and within a week the offense has adjusted with other non-stars and keeps producing without him. Not so good in the post-season, because teams are good at managing the injuries of their top players and making it likely that their stars will be in the lineup in the playoffs. That means the Bills are playing against a talent differential in the playoffs, something we've seen. It also demonstrates that players have to keep improving. Keon needed, while he was recovering from his injury and when he came back, to be focused on doing whatever was necessary to get back into the lineup, not to be focused on whatever he was doing six weeks earlier or what he wanted to accomplish six weeks from now. All the time, continuous improvement, as McDermott would say. That's what I would guess McDermott thinks Keon lost when he got injured. That's what Keon meant when he said, "be where your feet are." His feet are here, now, and all that matters is what he is doing here and now to be the player the team needs. I heard JJ Reddick say that a vet told him after his rookie season in the NBA that he needed to spend the off-season learning to do something to improve his game that he can't do now, and that he needed to do that every off-season if he wanted to stay in the league. Keon can be a JJ Reddick type player - excellent role-playing starter, but to be that player he needs to keep getting better. He seems to have lost sight of that after he got injured. This situation also makes it clear what McBeane are thinking when they say they want competitors, serious, fierce competitors. Competitors play, in practice and in games, like each play is the most important play in the world. And that's what I found most disappointing about Keon, all season long. He may be able to outjump defenders to make the catch, but I didn't see him outfight many defenders. If he had been outfighting defenders for the ball when he came back from his injury, he would have seen more playing time. Keon is a thoughtful guy. I hope he will take a big step forward as the result of this experience.

Oh, man, out of the BLUE!!! Great job!

I don't know the guy, but everyone knows the Bills need pass rush. They must see opportunities to use him to create mismatches across the line.

I don't know Palmer, but from what I've read here, it sounds like he's likely to stick and fit in well with the philosophy the Bills ran last season in the passing game. Sounds like he may be an upgrade. I hear what you're saying about a true difference maker at receiver - I've talked here often about the need for a few difference makers, guys who make plays when you really need them. Actually, I think the Bills have plenty of them, just not stud difference makers. The reason the offense was so good was precisely because at different times, different guys made a difference. Cook, Johnson, Davis in the backfield, and Cooper, Hollins, Shakir, Coleman all made some big plays (and we're hoping Kicaid will) and the offense scored a lot. What you mean is a stud guy who seems to make the plays at the biggest moments. The plays we expected Diggs to make, the plays we expected Miller to make. I'm not so sure that stud guy is so important. I think he absolutely is necessary on defense. Milano kind of was that guy, but not since his injury. Miller was supposed to be. Oliver and Rousseau are solid difference makers, but haven't elevated their game to stud level. I think the Bills need one of those guys on defense. But on offense, the passing game is a team concept. The Bills' approach is to have several guys on the field who challenge you in the passing game, every play. And they keep changing which guys and which combinations are on the field, and they keep tinkering with and evolving scheme, the whole point of which is to create momentary advantages that non-stud difference makers can take advantage of. If the coaches believe in that approach, if they thing it gives them an edge, then McBeane aren't going to be spending big dollars to get a stud. That is, in this passing scheme, the added value of a stud may not be worth the cost to get him.

I think your observations are good. I think that Beane's done a good job with the money he has to spend on d line. He needs 8-10 decent linemen to play McD's rotation. He can't afford to buy both depth and talent. On top of that,McD demands versatility. So, in the first round you get Rousseaus and Olivers, not boom or bust talents. Given those constraints, I think Beane has done well

Well, first, I think we have to realize these are 25 year-old guys who often don't really know what they're saying or what they want. They think the world revolves around social media, so they go on there and say things, simply because they aren't happy they don't have a deal. Second, some guys clearly do chase the championships or a better place to play. Von Miller, for example. I'm sure Mixon was glad to go from the Bengals to the Texans. The running back went back to the Chiefs. Hyde could have gone somewhere. He only wanted one team. It happens. It's probably the minority who truly make money secondary, but there are those guys. Your point is what? That it was state and county money? The state very much wanted to keep the Bills, and the County, too.

Taxpayers part of the bill for stadiums because the community wants the team in their city. Buffalo benefits enormously having the Bills. There's no reason Buffalo shouldn't bear some of that cost.

Thanks. I'm not convinced but you make some good points. I'm open to a receiver if there were a good out there. I don't like Metcalf, and I think the Steelers will regret their move.

Hard to feel a lot of urgency when you had a top 10 offense second in scoring. Buy defense.

Hey, gotta say it's pretty incredible you said this BEFORE Josh signed. What an organization!

Oh I don't think that's correct. Elway had no concern for his body at all when it came to running with the football. He had massive collisions with defenders often, and he wasn't sliding to avoid hits or running out of bounds to avoid hits. That made his success late in his career even more incredible. Josh can play to 40 if he wants.

I don't know him. That's high praise.

Fair enough. I said it makes me cautious, not that I'm not listening.

Last guy who came to Buffalo after wanting to leave his first team came from Minnesota. That alone makes me cautious.

Well, I think it's one difference maker. A guy who is a disrupter. A tackle or an edge. Sure, two would be nice, but they don't come cheap, and one would make everyone else along the line better.

Yes, and once they realize that's their NFL future, being on THIS team is where he would want to be - backing up the best on a team that is a threat to go deep into the playoffs for years.

I think if you have a good team, the key is too have a backup who can execute the offense and not make mistakes. He's certainly not going to be as good as your starter, but if you have a good team, the key is to not have your backup giving away games. The rest t of team will be good enough to win some games, so long as the QB isn't dishing out INTs. That means the backup should be a veteran with starting experience. Some of the journeyman backed ups qualify, and the other category of backups are the Flaccos and the Trubiskies, guys who have some hope of resurrecting their careers but who are willing to contribute to a winning team without starting. That's why I like Mitch.

Absolutely. And in this defense, a safety. But a difference maker on the D line is my #1 priority.

And the best available edges are ...?

It may be interesting to talk about whether the bill should go after Garrett or Metcalf. I think the more interesting question is whether the Bills should be willing to let Cook go in order to get Garrett.

Agreed. This isn't enough. What would really complete the package would be an elite edge rusher. This vision of Miller and Rousseau was the correct vision when Beane made the deal, but Miller's injury made it impossible to achieve what they saw. Rousseau's still young; he needs to be paired with an elite talent and the D line will be the force they need. My second choice for elite ability would be safety. Third would be receiver, but I really think the Bills are fine at receiver with the concept they used last season.

If I had to guess, and it's strictly a guess: I think Bernard looks at the market and sees that he can get more elsewhere. But he also sees that a big part of his success comes from being in complete sync with his coach's thinking and style. Bernard wants to win, and despite knowing he can get overpaid, he'll stay for less, because he thinks he has the best chance of winning with McDermott.