Richard Noggin

I really want to get on board with this. Theoretically, schematically, the empty set is intriguing with the Bills personnel. Obviously Daboll thinks so, given his use of it at critical times last season. But... Didn't the Bills struggle against pressure when in empty sets? Whether it was difficulty diagnosing the blitz and adjusting protections, or dealing with stunts and twists, or with the QB (and WRs being on the same page) executing the hot reads with any consistency--I recall some significant issues against aggressive defenses. It's possible the numbers don't support my recollection. I'll bet they do. Allen and co.'s greatest weaknesses (and therefore, also their greatest opportunities for growth) might have been on display in empty sets. So it will certainly be interesting to see how that plays out in 2020 (IF 2020 is a thing). I agree that Daboll likes the idea of empty sets, for sure.

Would that 2nd round EDGE guy, in this year's draft, be an impact prospect? Doesn't seem like 54 presents value at that position in 2020. You can possibly get a heck of an RB at 54, or even in the 3rd round if someone else falls into their laps in the 2nd. RB is generally only a worthwhile investment to a team looking to complete the puzzle. And I believe the Bills need to complete the offensive puzzle in 2020 and 2021. The next two years are the window. A developmental or backup DE doesn't move the needle as much this year.

Would having two young, dynamic Day Two RBs (2nd and 3rd round RBs are like 1st round WRs in terms of talent) on the roster be more advantageous than having another depth/developmental EDGE guy who could struggle to get snaps? Or, more advantageous than having a young WR4 who would have a steep learning curve in Daboll's complex, read-and-react passing offense (see also: Duke and Foster who struggled to see the field)? The current Bills roster can absorb injuries and rotate in fresh bodies at a majority of positions, minus QB for sure, maybe CB (although scheme helps to mitigate here), and definitely RB. Another weapon at RB is vital to the offense progressing. Singletary is effective, but you need another option there (unless you've got a QB like Mahomes, apparently). Lamar Miller could be a fit if he's healthy; so could Carlos Hyde I suppose. Or, a Day Two high-end talent like many here have proposed. CB and RB on Day Two seems like a solid plan.

Size queen.

A few others are making the argument that RB is never a "glaring" need, and I've often said something like that myself. But what I typically mean is that you shouldn't feel compelled to spend excessive capital to address the need. A solid offense DOES need effective RB play, though. So how do the Bills ensure they get solid production from the position over the course of an entire NFL campaign? (Draft Day 2 is the most popular option so far.)

Totally agree that this need does not necessitate a huge investment of money or draft capital to fill. But, that doesn't lessen the importance of filling it, right? Really hammering this point, sorry. CB and depth LB (although I like Corey Thompson) seem like the only other obvious holes to fill...

I really liked Yeldon in the second half against NE last year; his pass-catching presented a problem for the D, much like White has done for years in NE. But is that a clear #2, or just a committee member, able to contribute in specific ways? I think you need another versatile guy.

I sure hope so. Haven't had the chance to check out RB prospects this year, except for some insightful posts on here.

I don't know the last time I began a thread. I didn't see one dedicated to this topic. (But I'm wrong ALL the time.) Running back is a screaming, pulsing, must-have need for the 2020 Bills. Right? I mean, behind Singletary we have Yeldon, who I don't hate as 3rd down-ish receiving back, and what? A rugby guy who I'd love to see take giant moon-leaps towards NFL relevance, but isn't exactly a reliable commodity, and a special teamer who is valuable, but not on offense. So we 100% need a valid, starter-level RB to spell Singletary and potentially fill-in in the unfortunate and often likely case of injury. Or maybe I'm dim. It's nice to have so few glaring weaknesses, but this is one. In my humble estimation. Right?

Sure are a lot of people who don't understand what qualifies a person to have their own opinion on this. I'm not personally qualified, but I do like to read and listen to and watch actual experts offer their perspectives, and trust them to lead the way. And do you (not you personally, jimmy10) know who brings us these qualified perspectives? The dreaded MEDIA...(enter ghostly moaning here)

Thanks for being sensible. The anti-media/data/reality gang have some difficulty seeing the truth between extremes.

Why would this end "next week"? I don't think that's an option, given we're still on the upswing...

I don't know a SINGLE hospitality/service employee who is getting paid not to work right now. Me being one of them. Does that make my owners classless *****? Not really (there are other reasons it might be true, hehe). Restaurants typically run on fine margins, and paying a workforce while bringing in zero revenue is a sure fire way to bankrupt the industry rapidly. I found out on a day I was scheduled to work that I no longer, for a completely undetermined length of time, had a job. That was a bummer. There is an ongoing group text with about 22 participants from our restaurant where we're figuring out how to claim unemployment with very little guidance from above. Luckily for me, I also have a crappy full-time faculty position at a failing local college. So I'm still making half my income. Hopefully it can stretch long enough to keep us afloat. People like to blame, like to throw around judgments, when in reality, it's the economic system that keeps the working class on the brink. Sure, rich people COULD ABSOLUTLEY afford to help out the little idiots like me who work 70-80 a week to support my family. But they're not obligated to do so. And I don't sit around angry at them for not giving me handouts. But I would like my tax dollars to stop being redistributed to corporations and wealthy individuals who have benefited from a rigged system, and to start working for me and the vast majority of Americans like me. But that's a different thread all together. So hang in there, hospitality workers and everyone else whose financial lives have been turned upside down. I have NEVER received PTO from a restaurant as a tipped or hourly employee. Ever. It's the unfortunate reality of the industry.

Right. Self-reflect on that for a wee bit.

Amen. But, don't be a size queen.

Google would have let me down easier.

Uninformed question that Google could answer: is this Corey Dillon's kid?

Ah yes, the provocateur lies to stir up trouble. Part of the conspiratorial playbook. Could smell that from far off. Thanks for doing the legwork.

The conspiracy theorist is strong in this one. And the evidence is nonexistent, at least here.

Yeah, we've all been victimized by it. But am I being a jerk about this in some way that I'm not seeing that's causing this humorless response? I'm playing around with words here and you're defending yourself as though any of this matters. It's cool. Forget I made a joke about you criticizing someone else's "half-with" whatever.

The WGR guys fully recognize and lament the state of the Sabres. No doubt. I'm not sure where you're coming from with this. OBL is a different beast all together. Murph and Tasker are employed by the Bills directly. And broadcast on WGR. It's different than the radio hosts.

I say stupid things all the time. I'm a real Richard that way. But you gotta admit, yours was particularly ironic. Don't ya think?

I like irony.

Reasonable take. One could argue Dawson Knox appears to possess high end athleticism. "Top speed" is not a very holistic assessment of explosiveness or agility (although many of the fast guys are those things as well). But yeah, your conclusion is difficult to dispute.

No doubt Daboll is a Belichick disciple, in that he's been cross-trained on both sides of the ball, and values the schematic flexibility to attack defenses in multiple ways. I wonder if such multiplicity requires, at least for Daboll's offense, a playbook that is voluminous and intricate to a fault. Smoke Brown has admitted it's the most difficult offense he's ever learned. I'll bet other players feel similarly. Does that result in more errors on the field? More thinking and less play-making? Didn't the offense this season seem to hit its stride when they shifted mostly to one personnel package (11-personnel) and a no-huddle approach? You know, when Daboll simplified his gameplans?