The Now Moment

Tyrod was playing way too comfortably last time he was on the field against the Saints. With his job on the line, maybe he will play a little less conservative. He could end up playing really well. This board would explode if he does though. The coach blaming will continue and then others will remind them that Tyrod passed for less than a long field goal against the saints. Maybe, just maybe, the coaching decision will end up being an injection of motivation for Tyrod to shoot for 75 or maybe even 80 yards passing

Lawson has seemed to improve in his second year even with a lack of talent at DT next to him. He's stopped the run nicely too. I'm higher on him than some and think he will develop nicely. I think he will improve with help at DT and Hughes should improve as well. We just have no interior penetration this year

There might not be a lot of top offensive lineman and I agree QB and DL will be the first round picks but there certainly are a lot of good OL candidates in the second and third rounds. At this point in the season we just don't see the small school prospects that arise through the combine and senior bowl. There will be plenty of options at OL.

Oh we absolutely need better linebackers but the defense was good for the first part of this year even without that because they were getting pressure on the QB and causing turnovers. The young secondary we've assembled was feasting. Of course we need linebackers too but pass rush should be the priority on defense.

I only drafted Hurst because in the original post I said they should go after Star Lotulelei or a fat boy like him in FA who would be the big run stuffer. If they don't get that than a guy like Vita Vea who's a mammoth would do. I think Wilkins and Payne will be gone by their 2nd pick. Those guys have seemed to be athletic enough to provide a pass rush while being big enough to stop the run. The thing is with drafting QBs...how many of these guys are sure fire players? All of them are based on potential. How many QBs have looked phenomenal in college and end up faceplanting in the NFL. It's all potential and scheme fit. Darnold leads college football in turnovers. In a few years if he didn't pan out, we'd look back and say, wasn't that a red flag? All of these guys come with deficiencies, drafting a QB is the furthest thing from black and white. Again, I doubt they will want to trade up with all of the holes we have on this team. As for the "he will only improve over time," can we really say that about any QB? Too many guys drafted in the first round and even at number 1 overall have crapped the bed and never improved. I just don't think you can say that about any QB out of college until they've hit the field in the NFL. There's a reason franchise QBs are at a premium. Most guys don't make it but setting a rookie up for success will help and not trading all of those draft picks can patch up the oline and help out the defense too. It's honestly a crap shoot at QB. Who knows at this point. I'm not confident in any one of them right now to trade up. Therefore, I took maybe the highest potential at the pick that they will have. If we trade up and miss, we'll be looking at several more years of crap football. At least if we fill in the rest of the roster, we may be able to be somewhat successful. Look at Minnesota winning games with Keenum at QB...great oline, solid weapons and a great defense. I'm just not in the boat of trading our picks for anyone in this class.

They are looking for long term success not instant gratification. Build a championship contender year in and year out, not a few year first round knockout. Fans just gotta be patient with the regime but...I forgot I'm talking to Bills fans haha

I agree with most of your points but I don't think teams figured out the scheme. What's to figure out? Every single defense has been run in the past we just don't have guys in our front 7 that can run it well. Pass rush is extremely important in this scheme...we don't have any. If a QB is comfortable in the pocket, of course they are gonna pick apart the defense. Need more pass rush

Like I said, his talent has caused his stats to look like crap. Goff and Wentz had low 60s completion percentages in college for most of their careers. Russell Wilson had a mid 50s completion percentage for 3 years in college. It's not as cut and dry as you make it out to be. The talent around them in college matters. Allen has shown some great abilities. I'm just in the boat of thinking he will be a lot better with NFL level talent around him that can actually make a play for themselves. Quarterbacks can improve

Like I said Scott would need to lose a few pounds but I think he can be a much better pro than college player if he loses weight much like former Michigan state running back, Le'veon Bell. He needs to lose some weight and get some speed...we shall see. Either way, i'm liking the idea of a 4th round running back. I agree with you about Cichy, another McD player is Jewell from Iowa. Gonna be very interesting to see who stands out at the senior bowl and how these guys test at the combine.

In a 4-3 scheme like our players are asked to run, speed at the linebacker position is essential. Looking across the league, some of the best defensive units that have 4-3 schemes have fast linebackers who can do multiple things. The vikings have fast linebackers, Atlanta's fast linebackers helped them big time in their deep run last year, Dallas's defense without Sean Lee's speed at linebacker has been atrocious since his injury...the list goes on and on. The point is, in a league that continues to put up unreal passing numbers and utilizes more players in the passing game, you need linebackers who can cover. You have to be able to cover the big tight ends who seem to get more athletic every year, the fast running back out of the backfield that has hands like a wideout and so on. Linebackers who are fast can help our pass rush big time. Looking at a guy like Keuchly for Carolina, while I know he is an unreal talent, his speed has gotten him several sacks over the years. He can quickly shoot gaps and put pressure on the QB. In the cover defense that we run, pressure on the QB is essential to causing turnovers and slowing down the pass game as we've seen hasn't happened the last few weeks here. While I like Milano and have hope that he can play his way into a long term starting position eventually, he's only one guy and who knows if he will become that starter down the line here. At the very least, he's solid depth. We need three fast linebackers if we want to maximize this defenses potential. Humber was serviceable earlier in the year but has looked horribly slow and been beaten more times than not of late both in the run and the pass. Brown again is serviceable but he has been pretty rough this year. He's not a difference maker and at MLB in a 4-3 scheme, you need something better than him. Most of the top defenses have difference makers at that position. As for a 6th rounder, I had the conditional pick we got in the Dareus trade becoming a 5th. I'm not 100% sure what our later round picks are exactly with all of the trades haha. Picks wise, I have continued to work on a mock as the season goes on and as needs have presented themselves. I'd just like to note that the mock was based off not having to move up to grab a QB. 1st QB Josh Allen, Wyoming 6'5" 235 -My personal opinion of Allen might be different than others. I like him for his high potential and recognize that he was forced to do everything for that team as his weapons and offensive line have been just horrid. In our offense, he wouldn't be asked to do everything. The goal is to have a nice complimentary run game and an opportunistic defense like we had earlier this year. With an injection of talent to both of those areas, Allen will have a more comfortable situation here where he can develop into his high potential. All the QBs in this class are projects. I don't think anyone can say one clearly stands out. All of them have questions including Mayfield, who I know is popular among some. He's not even 6'0", has had character issues and played with a lot of talent in his career at Oklahoma. Personally, my choice is Allen. I think he has the biggest arm talent in the class and has great mobility for his size. Also, he has size. He's not another 6 foot nothing QB like we've had over the past several years. He fits our scheme with his mobility and his arm abilities. Coaching will need to help him but there's some nice weapons in place here right now. 1st DT Maurice Hurst, Senior Michigan 6'2" 285 -Although a little undersized, Hurst is a monster. His quick first step collapses running lanes in a heartbeat. Reminds me a little of Aaron Donald, undersized but dominates with his quickness and relentless pursuit. As I said in my last post, I think there is a chance Buffalo will go after a guy like Star Lotulelei in the offseason who can provide the run stuffing we need as well as some abilities to collapse the pocket and get sacks. Hurst will help the pass rush big time. 2nd OG Isaiah Wynn, Senior Georgia 6'2" 302 -With the offensive line looking horrid this year at times, upgrades are needed. Incognito and Wood are aging and right guard and right tackle need upgrades. Dawkins has played well at times this year and I am hoping he can take over a spot on the line somewhere next year. His versatility makes him very valuable. Wynn is a similar player. He has played inside and at tackle at Georgia and some think he can play center at the pro level as well. He's a senior with versatility and a lot of experience. Seems like an obvious match to me. 2nd LB Tegray Scales, Senior Indiana 6'0" 230 -Speed, athletic ability, tackling. He has been able to cover, blitz and stuff the run over his 4 years with the Hoosiers. He's a touch undersized but I don't expect him to play MLB for them. Tremaine Edumunds is a possible MLB player for me here. He's a large linebacker that could take over the middle of our defense but I like Scales for his ability to constantly improve as a player over his career. 3rd C/G Frank Ragnow, Senior Arkansas 6'5" 317 -This is a late 3rd round pick. I'd be more excited obviously if it was closer to the second round where i'd expect a potential starter. Here, I look for Buffalo to draft Eric Wood's eventual replacement. Ragnow being a senior, having versatility and size, I would love to see Wood help groom the young fella next season and then he could potentially take over the following season. I expect Dawkins and Glenn to man the tackle positions. We need to use veterans like Incognito and Wood to help some young lineman this upcoming season with their transition to the NFL. This is more of a long term pick than a step in starter. 4th RB LJ Scott, Junior Michigan 6'1" 229 -To me, the fourth round should be designated for a running back in this class. Mccoy could use a backup and eventual replacement. LJ Scott could be a guy that falls into the fourth round in a crowded class of guys. I'm looking for the thunder to Mccoy's lightning. Scott needs to lose a little weight but he runs with so much power adding more speed will make him tough to tackle at the next level. However, he could be a riser if he shows up to the combine in better shape and shows well. Other players could be Freeman, Scarborough, Penny and Adams. Any way you slice it, I expect a 4th round running back who has the ability to be very productive immediately next to Mccoy. 5th round picks: At this stage it is too hard to tell who will likely fall here. However, our secondary has some talent but needs more depth. I'd love to see a development safety and corner with our 5th rounders. I think Gaines/Johnson could be back. They played well when healthy and when we had a pass rush. But depth is surely needed. In this mock, we miss out on drafting our middle linebacker. I have gone back and forth between Scales who I believe is more of an outside linebacker and Tremaine Edmunds for Virginia Tech who is a MLB. I love Scales so I favored him but I would also like Edmunds as a second round option. Edmunds standing at 6'5" 240 could certainly help out clogging some of those running lanes and his height will help him more when he drops into coverage.

Should be very interesting to see who plays well. Can't wait

I agree that they need new defensive fat boys up front and we've had this discussion before. But I think there will be some sort of balance. I expect a linebacker and a DT in the early rounds, a QB and two offensive lineman completing the first three rounds. Speed needs to be injected at the linebacker position. Our linebackers are asked to cover and the players we have are just too slow to do so. My hope is that they find a way to draft their QB without trading away picks or too many high ones. If they do so, I believe their draft could look like: 1st QB 1st DT 2nd OL 2nd LB 3rd OL 4th RB 5th CB 5th S Additions of Lotulelei, a corner, a wideout, a linebacker and then filling in depth from there is my current expectation. I 100 percent agree that new DTs will allow Hughes and even Lawson to improve their pass rush. I think Lawson deserves another year. He has been solid against the run for the most part but a step slow in the pass rush. I think with new DTs, he could benefit the most in his development...hopefully haha

I think us as fans get too wrapped up in individual games and interviews that we have knee-jerk responses to certain things. It has clearly been a building process the entire way. They said it. They said "trust the process." I'm not sure what other fans took that to mean but for me, that meant it'll be a little painful this first year but we are setting ourselves up to create the culture and bring in talent that fits the scheme. With all the draft picks, they can make a dent in the building process. Plus, they have a decent amount of cap. I'm looking for long term sustained success, not one season where we barely slip into the playoffs in a weak AFC just to get blasted in the first round.

Yet the Saints were crap for a few years to rebuild the talent on the defense and a few positions on offense. The Rams have been rebuilding for a while and have young talent across the board. It most certainly is not a now league. Carolina took a few years of crap to become good. Same goes for Seattle, Kansas City, Jacksonville and many more. To build long term sustained success, you might have to actually give a regime some time to build something. The only teams that skip this are the ones that find the Tom Bradys, Aaron Rodgers of the world.

Leonard Johnson has had some really nice games and has played under McDermott at Carolina. I doubt they will get rid of him. The secondary hasn't played that well lately because the front 7 hasn't sniffed the QB in weeks. He may not be a number 2 corner but he'd be solid depth. Gaines has been solid but injured and I doubt they will be getting rid of shady. Especially if they get a rookie QB. You can grab another back to play next to Mccoy but he's been one of the bright spots in an up and down season. I think everyone else will be gone

If we got cousins, what would be the point in wasting a high draft pick on another QB? We already have a guy to develop as a potential backup. It's not like Cousins is 35, he's still fairly young Rudolph seems to have a lot of limitations with arm strength and mobility, not a huge fan. Not really sure how any of these QBs will do in the NFL. All of them seem to have played poorly at times or have big deficiencies but Josh Allen, even though he's played with no talent, has the highest ceiling in my opinion. If he comes out, a system that doesn't ask him to do everything like we have now might be a good situation for him. His mobility and arm strength would be a nice fit. We have a few nice weapons that would be able to help him right away. I think he is unfairly judged by his stats. His team sucks. No weapons, no offensive line hasn't helped him. With a a little coaching, I think he could be a franchise QB. He's 6'5" 235. He's not a perfect prospect but nobody in this draft is. Anybody you take will be a project, why not take the one with the highest ceiling?

His offensive line has been dominant over the past several weeks.

They have a chance this year to make a nice dent in patching up the holes on this roster. If they have a really nice draft, this ship could really turn around

Never said he was man. Said he was traded and restructured at the same time...

Dawkins with a couple nice blocks on those runs

I don't expect him to be the starter...cutting him will allow them to use that space on other guys to keep rebuilding the roster. Never said we'd have cap trouble, I said we have an opportunity with all the potential cap space to bring in a lot of talent this offseason. Cutting Tyrod's contract would help that Matt Flynn was traded by the Seahawks to the Raiders for two conditional draft picks on a bigger contact but the contract was reconstructed to complete the deal...something like this could certainly be an option. I'm not saying that they definitely will find a trade partner but it could happen.

I meant our running game, not theirs.

If I see Humber get stuck inside on a run and trail the back down the field I'm gonna puke but I understand that they don't want to rush his development

Tyrod isn't a trainwreck for certain schemes. For ones that require him to be aggressive and make quick reads, yeah he is. He misses wide open wide receivers all the time. We are 30th in passing...that's just inexcusable. I think Peterman's style gives us a better chance. He could be terrible but the quick release QB is what we need in this scheme with the players we have. I don't know of many coaches that take a head coaching job and immediately switch their scheme because of the players they inherited, especially if they are average players like Tyrod. How are they supposed to coach their best if they aren't familiar with the scheme? Tyrod hasn't shown to be a great player in his previous two seasons? Why would they change their scheme for a guy that may not be the starter soon. I think it was pretty clear going into this that Tyrod was given the opportunity to win the job as the Future Quarterback of the Buffalo Bills but if he didn't improve a ton, he would be kicked to the curb. I mean they made him take a pay cut before the season started. He's played okay in his 2 and a half years here but why would they settle for his mediocre play and hurt their chances of being successful long term. They have a rookie that they drafted specifically to fit this type of scheme. Why not let him play since Tyrod has clearly shown he can't run the system and improve. They also have a lot of high draft picks that they can use to find a young promising QB to develop if they decide to go that direction this year. It's about the long term success, not potentially making it to the playoffs one year with a terrible AFC only to be steamrolled in the first round. Of course it's not all on the QB but very good QBs can overcome a lot of the things Tyrod hasn't been able to. Again, the bottom line for me is: why would a new coaching staff change their schemes for a QB they aren't certain is the future of this team and hasn't proven to be anything more than mediocre?

All the talk has been on Peterman which is understandable but what about our run game? If we win tomorrow, we will probably have to run the ball really well. With Tolbert out, it'll be interesting to see who they give the ball to when Mccoy is getting a breather. Luckily, the Chargers are the worst in the NFL at defending the run giving up 135 yards per game. Also, Tyrod has been a large part of our run game but Peterman can make a few plays with his feet as well. What do you expect out of our run game tomorrow?