Richard Noggin

I know you to be a deliberate, thoughtful poster. You claim Star Lotulelei does his limited job well. So my question is: how do we know that to be true? What evidence can you point to? I don't ask this to be obtuse or to passively suggest the opposite. I do sincerely wonder, however, how we can come to some kind of objective consensus on Star's performance as a Bill. Is it just watching the plays? Are there published, favorable grades on his play? I don't want to solely rely on McBeane's APPARENT judgment on his play. I want another source. Help me, Thurm. I know you value evidence and fair reporting.

Is it okay to admit that most of the plays highlighted early on in the linked video are in fact highly-interceptable throws? Roughly 8 or 9 of them. Then, beginning around 1:20 with the Colts game highlight, we get mostly contested balls, passes defensed, or miscues that don't exactly hit a waiting defender's hands. Definitely still another pass or two that coulda/shoulda been picked, but mostly just unsuccessful throws. My hasty tally for the highlight package is something like 9-5, interceptable-to-simply-incomplete throws. Allen absolutely holds the ball too long at times, eventually throwing ill-advised, telegraphed gifts at a target he's been staring down. Then again, that's how we also get those toe-drag swag plays from Gabriel Davis in the playoffs against the Colts, for example. Gotta take the good-to-great with the bad.

The mistake by the m'lake

We are all of us shocked by your lack of ethical fortitude.

Those are rookie numbers.

Weird hill to die on, but okay.

Imagine being a Brady apologist.

I'd mistakenly thought the Bills signed Sean Davis after his visit. Guess not. Totally agree that there is a roster hole there, at backup S, and another at boundary CB. They need someone, like Marlowe, who can either replace a starter if necessary or be utilized in 3-safety sub-packages. I don't know if Johnson is ready to step into that role, or if he'll remain just a (solid) ST guy. As for CB, I'll bet we can all agree they'll draft a guy in the first three rounds to compete with Wallace and Jackson for the #2 job. Heck, Tre was picked at 27. Another first rounder, with five years of term/manageable salary, to pair with him just makes too much sense. Question: do we like Cam Lewis as slot depth? And Siran Neal? I think we could do worse.

I seem to remember film analysis on a youtube channel (maybe Cover-1?) of our running game woes in the early part of 2020 when Ford was still in at LG, with much of the blame assigned specifically to the guards. I think Winters was in at RG for most of it (due to Mongo's injury). Before being injured, Ford was having serious issues executing the scheme, If I'm remembering accurately. For him to suddenly be an average or above average NFL guard would be a major boost to the Bills offense. He has yet to be that. Here's to hoping he takes a BIG step forward.

(Sorry if others have replied to this post already; I'm reading through the thread in order 27 hours later because I work too much.) Anyways, I'm sure you realize that there are 10 other Bills on the field with Allen on every play, and coaches calling plays for them...so the QB's success can be greatly helped or hindered by myriad factors. You're not wrong in boiling it down to Josh Allen's production. It's just that personnel decisions, play-calling, and the on-field execution of his teammates--within the scope of the specific plays, packages, and situations--HEAVILY influence "his" results. Football is the ultimate team sport. SO many interrelated moving parts on every play.

He's a prick in person. Does not treat us pleebs very well.

I'm glad you're open to Davis growing into a "bigger" role as a physical/jump ball receiver. He flashed last season. Was a great 9-route guy in college. Shame he was limited by injury down the stretch for the Bills. We should also be open to Hodgins earning time on the field in 2021. He is a rangy dude (tall with long arms) with elite hands (according to scouting reports) and I'd argue sneaky athleticism (really solid agility and explosion numbers once you get past his 40 time). His camp last year was every bit as eye-opening as Davis's until he got hurt. He's the son of a long time NFL FB. He can hopefully play.

Aw, geez. What do I know about knowin stuff?

Werd. Do I get another vote? Or, am I to be punished for my own lack of diligence?

We gonna re-do this poll? (No offense to OP, of course.)

Ooh so edgy.

I believe you mean Cam LEWIS, in fact. Phillips is a WR if I'm not mistaken.

Then I guess we need Davis and Hodgins to step up! They're big (Davis) and tall (Hodgins).

Completely unrelated to the topic here. Yikes. The powers-that-be can discuss stadium plans AND they can figure out how to get fans back in the current stadium next season.

Picks received in future drafts are automatically devalued a round. So, it's a net loss of one round. It's more like a 4th this year.

You can say that again.

Too bad to fail.

Anyone else feeling like Isaiah McKenzie is being criminally undervalued by the entire league? I'm really stunned by the deal he just signed. Genuinely thought there would be a market for his skillset/potential. Is it a product of the cap pinch and consequent novel devaluation of FA WRs in particular? I'm not the only person who thought Li'l Dirty was headed for a much bigger payday than 1-yr/1.15M deal. I'm curious where Spotrac projected his market value heading into the offseason? Anyone make note of that prior to his signing? Buffalo Rumblings actually nailed his value in this article: https://www.buffalorumblings.com/2021/2/15/22283858/2021-contract-projection-for-buffalo-bills-free-agent-receiver-returner-isaiah-mckenzie. Scary accurate. So maybe homerism is clouding my judgment. Maybe I'm biased by my beliefs that the Bills offense operated best when incorporating lateral pre- and post-snap motion and play-action (usually through #19), and that his disappearance (due to injury, primarily) in the playoffs played a major role in the offense's struggles. Admittedly, his career production is not impressive. But his potential on offense AND SPECIAL TEAMS is valuable. I'm relieved he re-signed.

Would be great if we're correct. I don't know if "very humble beginnings" is completely accurate, as he's a talented white dude from a solid family with a successful farm. Many people's beginnings are certainly a heck of a lot humbler than his. He's not a rich kid or a 5-star D-1 recruit, but we caught a glimpse of some tone-deaf teenage privilege in those tweets released on the eve of the draft. Nevertheless I agree that he certainly seems to be a solid person who HAS had to work very hard to get to where he is now. People who know him genuinely seem to like the guy.

My guess is that Bills fans (those unimpressed with him) and Bills management are VERY far apart in their assessment of Tremaine Edmunds to date. The thing is, I'd love to be wrong on either point. Best case is Edmunds finally realizes he's a monster of a man and begins to play like it. Much less appealing is that the Bills decide he hasn't earned a long-term deal and they move on. Worst case is he continues logging low-impact (not inept, just not really impactful) performances and the Bills extend him for big money.