TigerJ

So far it's been contact free walk throughs and conditioning work. About the only impressions that can be gathered under those conditions are how mentally prepared players are, and it's only coaches who will know that. Contact work in pads starting tomorrow will help, but the risk of injury rises correspondingly. I don't think fans or media are going to be able to get much of an idea about how any of the position battles are going, and we can only hope that when the home opener arrives the team will be as well prepared as we're expecting.

I don't think either guy makes the 53 man roster. Beane is thinking about his expanded PS and preparing for a possible injury/COVID-19 catastrophe at DT. Zimmer was a UDFA of the Bills 4 years ago and was an athletic freak coming out of Division 2 Ferris State. At 300 lbs he ran a 4.85 and put up 44 reps. They both have played a little in the NFL. Smart was a 6 round pick of the Rams, where he understudied Aaron Donald for a bit.

The line situation for the Jets is a big factor. Lots of observers are looking for Leveon Bell to have a big comeback year, but with questions on the offensive line and the turnover at WR means everybody will be looking for Bell, and he may have to create his own opportunities if the line doesn't turn out to be a lot better than it looks. If Bell can't get things going, defenses are going to tee off on Darnold.

He was a seventh round draft pick and probably was competing to make the roster as an interior offensive lineman. Probably was competition for a depth position and nothing more. It won't hurt New England much this season.

I doubt the workouts mean anything for the immediate future. Zimmer is 27 and has been a fringe player for a few years now. He was a raw, though talented prospect from a small college football program. Coatney is younger and went to an SEC school (Ole Miss) but had a disappointing college career despite some size and earlier promise. Smart actually got drafted, but in three years since college hasn't been able to crack an NFL roster. TY McGill is another older (27) guy still looking for a break to get on an NFL roster. He had a chance in 2017 with the Colts, but was cut after an arrest for possession of marijuana. Maybe he's got a little something in the tank, but these guys are not going to threaten the roster spots of Ed Oliver, Quinton Jefferson, Harrison Phillips, Vernon Butler or Vincent Taylor. The only shot these guys have to get on the Bills roster would be a disaster involving multiple injuries or a COVID-19 outbreak. 2016

Has he had his baby yet?

If you're defining "taxing" as stressful, then yes, I can't imagine anything more stressful. You have to be 100% focused all the time. I think an NFL QB probably has to process more information from the huddle through the snap and the completion of a play. He has to know what he's supposed to do on a particular play, how that can be affected by what the defense does, and what his receivers are supposed to do, and where his protection is. If receivers aren't doing what they're supposed to, he has to be able to spot that and make adjustments, as he does for the defense.

I think that the only way Josh Norman doesn't make the team is if he shows he physically can't handle the demands of the cornerback position anymore.

Darryl Williams is a better guard than tackle. Winters is going to play guard. Spain is starting at guard on the other side. Ford is going to play right tackle. Nsekhe was better last season, but couldn't stay healthy. He will be 35 in October. He will continue to be a health risk. It's inevitable. Ford will be better this season than last. Footwork was an area where he struggled and he focused on that in the off season. Additionally, he got much stronger. It all adds up to Ford playing tackle.

He could end up being the Bills' coach for a quarter century or more. As one who preaches continuity, I think this is about the best possible news.

A possible calendar could have NFL teams run OTAs before the draft. Then they could have the draft on Memorial Day weekend, have a rookie camp a week later and then Mini-camp in mid-June. Rookies would be a bit further behind in learning their new teams' systems, but I think it's already a given that rookies who participate in spring college football are going to have on average less impact than usual on their new teams. They will have had virtually no time to heal up and recover from the rigors of a season of football before again being thrust on to the field again. I think NFL coaching staffs will be careful about overworking rookies and inadvertently causing injury

If there actually is spring football on a widespread basis, I could see the NFL postponing the draft for a month to give teams the chance to do a little post football e v a l. It's going to be crazy in any case.

It's pretty much a given that he'll run more than Tom Brady. On the other hand, it will be considerably less than Lamar Jackson. Still, incorporating some elements from Baltimore's offense isn't far fetched. It's a copycat league and Baltimore was wildly successful on offense last season.

New England is very deep at running back, and I expect them to be a run first offense this season, but honestly, there's only one football on the field at any given time. None of New England's running backs are elite. Solid, but not elite. McDermott and Frasier are smart defensive guys. The signing of Miller is not their undoing. As I think about it, New England may be preparing to incorporate some of Greg Roman's offense in Baltimore. Josh McDaniel has the horses at running back and he's got the mobile QB. It will be interesting to see. McDermott already has a bead on how to defend it based on Buffalo's game with Baltimore last season. Lamar Jackson is far more elusive than Cam Newton. Newton is bigger and harder to bring down after contact, but he's also got some hard miles on him.

My post was not intended to say Hodgins can't be a successful NFL receiver. I was just reminding posters how he was viewed before he was drafted. Hodgins, by the way, was said to have terrific hands.

Of course, none of us were there. The point has been made that Oliver may have exhibited behavior that indicated he might have been under the influence of drugs. Obviously that's what the officer maintained. Maybe Oliver's behavior justified the officer's reaction. Maybe it didn't. Maybe the officer's behavior was due to his own bias/racism. Because we're on the outside looking in, we can only express opinions. They aren't worth much. I can see why Oliver is disgusted by the whole thing, and I personally think that the police department owes him an apology since all the testing revealed no drugs or alcohol. I also hope the league excuses him from whatever program they required of him. I hope he can put this behind him and have a great season.

Another example of how thoroughly Brandon Beane researches prospects in preparation for the draft. The book on Davis was that he was pretty athletic, but ran a limited route tree in college. That may have been true, but Beane's staff figured out that he had a head on his shoulders and the dedication to learn what he needed to be an NFL receiver. We already knew that Hodgins was a crafty route runner who could gain separation. The knock on him was that he's not too fast and while he's tall, he's not real strong. He can get stronger, but he'll probably never be a burner.

That doesn't mean there's not a choice to make. If the cost is different, how much better is the more expensive player, and does it justify the greater expense to try and sign the more expensive player? Or are bother of them going to be too pricey with a potentially reduced cap.

It means Buffalo has a tough choice. Winters is on a one year deal, so if they want to keep him, they will probably have to sign him to a (more costly) longer term deal, and then try to trade somebody.

I suppose calling it "Tiger Stadium" would be too reminiscent of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Duke played better at the end of last season. Obviously, the Bills think he can still be a factor in the back end of the receiver competition. At the same time Kkeem King must not have been too impressive in practice.

Wholeheartedly agree. It's trendy right now that when there's been a whiff of racism in the air for everybody to pile on. Don't let the perpetrator up until he's been bloodied beyond recognition. I don't really know Jake Fromm at all. What he said was fine, but what really matters is how he conducts himself going forward, particularly with his teammates who may be a bit sensitized because of his earlier tweets.

Why don't we trade Tyler Kroft for a pair of first round picks while we're at it.

At 6' and 305 he's probably not a 1 tech, and frankly I don't think he'd have any kind of a chance to make the Bills roster at either DT spot. It's not the stongest area of the team, but even with Lotulelei opting out for the season, it's not that bad.

Not OK with it at this point in the Bills' history. The Bills are perhaps on the cusp of being a great team. If one thought they were 2 or 3 years away from greatness, then fine, make the trade. You'll possibly be better for it in the future. For the Bills, the future is now. The Bills have a solid overall team, but they need White's shutdown abilities on one side of their defense to maintain their quality on that side of the ball. The Jets are in a completely different place..