Richard Noggin

Fam, who would you pull the trigger on if the following six players are available at 30? Asking for myself. I'm running through a mock right now. (last three prospects are most appealing to me tbh)

We all see a talent void at NT, but we have to ask ourselves if that has anything to do with why the Bills defense has fallen short in the playoffs for six years and counting under McDermott? Each regular season, the Bills have a 2-game swoon wherein they get absolutely mauled physically, featuring especially failures in run defense. However, each postseason, the Bills lose in the playoffs to the Chiefs (or Bengals or Texans) primarily because they cannot pressure the QB. Sure, the LOS in general is an issue, but a lack of pass rush pressure is the most glaring failure, repeatedly. (Entirely possible that super passive and predictable coverage schemes/off-alignments exacerbates this problem btw.) Kind of agree, even though I draft Clark almost EVERY dang time he's available at 30 in my dumb little mocks.

The bolded is definitely reasonable, but my thinking was more that Crosby's messaging helps the Raiders maintain the illusion of leverage in trade talks while also saving face for the player and team if no move is made.

Okay, but what would it take moving forward? Think most of us can agree that if Dawkins retired tomorrow, he would NOT make the WALL. But will his career end up justifying the honor? What would have to happen?

One must be willing to at least entertain the idea that such positive social media messaging shifts are strategic, intended to both improve leverage for the GM trying to offload a disgruntled fan favorite AND to deflect blame away from the player in question. No way for me to independently assess any of these narratives, but it's wise to maintain a pragmatic cynicism until proven otherwise. Some franchises, like the Steelers and Packers and Ravens, have successfully let the back halves of many drafts fall into their laps. Beane hasn't let the board come to him a few times already, nor have his moves up AND down in the 1st/2nd rounds been decisive/independently motivated and definitively successful.

Who else is saying Bond "is an excellent route runner"? I'm seeing the opposite, mostly. He's more so an explosive gadget guy innit?

Tremaine Edmunds was 12 years old when the Bills drafted him!

Has Groot routinely faced much double coverage though? To think he'll suddenly become a more disruptive force because of "single coverage" sounds like wishful thinking, considering his production to date. Groot has immense ability, but is mostly just solid (at best). We all watched him repeatedly lose contain to Mahomes in the AFCCG. What was that about?

Agreed that less regulations meant more violence and excitement back in the day, but naturally that resulted in more widespread, and more significant injuries (including deaths) and chronic conditions across sports. I mean, think of European road racing back before radial tires. Professional boxers. Hockey enforcers. Even baseball: Lou Gehrig (knocked out cold on a baseball field a BUNCH of times throughout his life) had a neurodegenerative disease named after him. Imagine even the unreported history of football's health impacts. We now know at least a component of the long term traumas via concussion/CTE lawsuits. Things just don't turn out well for the gladiators, historically. Obviously the NFL isn't super convincing with its emphasis on player safety, but even its half-hearted intentions have probably made dramatic advancements in workplace conditions and long term health outcomes for players overall. Hockey in the 80s and 90s was pretty great, though, wasn't it? What a wild, rough ride. Football more so in the 70s and 80s.

Was unaware of such a thread. Apt analogy, for me.

Don't understand all the complaints in this thread. Are kickoff rule changes really what's ruining the game? Sounding a little like "back in my day" obstinance. Can definitely get behind beotching about selective and generally over-officious interventions that seem to favor offenses, but also vary based on crews. Would love to turn most of it over to an eye-in-the-sky like tennis and Futbol have been moving towards. Stipulation is that you gotta show replays of all calls involving flags, measurements, possession/turnover rulings, and scores. More things should be challengeable, like uncalled delays-of-game, and uncalled illegal formations (Juwaan Taylor should have been flagged 2x or 3x his already impressive totals). Spotting the ball should be electronic and automatic. Just like baseball NEEDS to remove human umpires from calling balls and strikes, football needs to quickly build and implement automated and transparent checks and balances on calls that are not open to subjective interpretation.

When Beasley was an integral component of the Bills offense, the pendulum was swinging hard in the direction of passing. There was TIME and SPACE on the field. QBs both very young and very old were producing at historic levels. Josh Allen, along with Patrick Mahomes, are talented enough that they need to still embrace their youthful arm arrogance maybe a LITTLE more often than they have been recently. Allen to freaking Robert Foster was a legitimately dangerous deep connection down the stretch in 2018. Come on. Get the man a guy with elite speed and a knack for getting behind DBs. (Worthy fit that description tbh lol.)

There is a Bills 4th leaving and a 5th and 7th coming back, but those are whatever.

This Garrett trade breakdown seems favorable for the Bills compared to some earlier guesses/projections. Two late firsts is the cost here, essentially. Plus Epenesa is somehow valued enough in the transaction to be included at all (salary relief there?). No more or less valid, this proposal, of course, than any other as an entry in the ongoing chatter.

Misspelled realized and embarrassing 🤌

Von was an example of Beane AND McDermott stepping outside their comfort zones to get that defensive "closer" they've lacked. Beane for giving that much money and term to an aging guy with potentially BAD knees (drunken doc--who was part of local team that scanned Miller was--ran his mouth at a restaurant I worked for, claiming that Vonn's knees were an obvious red flag; this is that first summer he was signed). And McDermott for deferring at times to Miller's entitlement (heard it from Miller's own mouth, at that same restaurant, that he'd been caught by McDermott for staying out past curfew, and while McD did not punish Miller or make an example of him, he did at least "address [him] as a man" and appeal to his better angels as a team leader and role model. Wish it had worked out better. (Mother Teresa was a bit of a psycho tbh. Crazy stuff.)

Only future asset traded to get up to 10 was next year's 2nd. Didn't surrender a 2nd this year (was 1st, 2 4ths, 2 5ths, and future 2nd). Hunter CAN play some WR in the NFL, yes? Give him a limited role on both sides of the ball in year 1 unless he proves capable of handling more? final pick at #208 was Jalen Rivers, T Miami (could project as a stout LG).

So true, but I'm really missing that wide-9 alignment I saw from Philly in the SB. Gave Mahomes fits (of course in part because of the talent running it).

All 7 picks make the 53-man roster (assuming health and lack of outright busts). Choices at 56 weren't offering compelling value so I moved back a little and compressed my pick selections from 10 to 7.

I'm fine with the Bills using those draft assets to acquire Garrett. He's great. I'm even more fine with the Bills using those assets, or maybe less, to acquire Crosby. (I recognize that his potential availability is mere rumor and Bills mafia fan fiction.) I'm also fine with the Bills investing 2 of their 3 Day One and Two picks on DL. The draft is deep there, so lean into that if the opportunity arises. Let talented DL prospects fall to you, or if you miss a run on them, there should be DBs or OLs with value. Will need a cheap LG or OC soon, to replace David Edwards in 2026. McGovern could slide back over if an OC develops or falls into their laps before an LG does. Is that VPG? How much longer will Dawkins play at this high level without needing another big payday? Just keep stocking the cupboards.

If the first 5 picks fell like this, no trades... (I haven't done much reading on Winston and Strong, tbh, but they were sticking out on the board.)

Back in March the EFFING GOVERNOR of MISSOURI commuted Britt Reid's sentence, and he is supposed to be under house arrest until October of this year. That's as overt as entitlement gets. Big part of why KC is so easy to root against.

McDermott's scheme worked so well a few of his years in Carolina because they had ELITE talent at all levels of that defense. But also, there's something about the way the Bills align up front, and rush, series-after-series, that seems predictable or at least not exactly cutting edge. I truly miss the old Wide-9 days of Jim Schwartz, and of course the Ted Washington days of Wade Phillips. Talented D-lines. Philly had incredible success against KC without ever blitzing, leveraging what looked to me like that wide spacing with DEs aligned outside OTs and even TEs, early and often. They exploited Kelce in pass pro, several times. That's awesome. In short, my answer is yes. It's the players and the system.

I want to congratulate these Edmunds traits-vs-ability claims for making another appearance tonight, 2/18/25. May this argument NEVER die. I agree with you btw, but have concerns about (and some contradictory tenderness for) the 1st claim. I don't think anyone has ever convincingly proven that Edmunds ACTUALLY deterred pass attempts, but I love it coming up again. Has it been demonstrated convincingly?

Are you targeting a specific DT, EDGE, or CB in the early 20s? Can't imagine trading up farther than that, and really am not in favor of trading up at all in the 1st. Feels like at 30 there will be a valuable DT, EDGE, or CB prospect (or possibly someone just sticking out at a less need-based position, who knows). Let the board fall on day one, and go into day two with an opportunity to add another fringe first rounder (or two). Don't force anything, and add 3 long term talents to the roster. Gotta use days 1 and 2 of the draft to add quality line talent and boundary guys on both sides of the ball, year after year. Avoiding repeated trade-ups helps to maintain a healthy pipeline.