MrEpsYtown

Nice work! My comp is Aaron Hernandez and he had 45 receptions, 563 yards, and 6 TDs playing with the goat QB. 12.5 yards per reception, but that is skewed by his YAC ability. Kincaid is currently at 8.9 Y/R. The difference is in red zone production. Kincaid's year is very impressive imo. That same year Gronk had 42 receptions for 546 yards and 10 TDs. The TD productivity is much higher for the NE guys but again rookie TE production is tough to come by. They also played with Tom Brady who was a 11-year vet at that point. Kincaid is doing really good things and he will be fine.

Agreed. The tricky part is to try to predict who the next round of guys are. Who is out there as an undervalued piece like Hyde and Poyer were? Cheap, slow corners who have traits that fit.

Yeah I agree. And I think ultimately he will, I think it just depends on scheme fit. The dude makes plays all over the place.

Yeah, I think he fits like a glove in this defense as a corner or safety, can play nickel, outside etc. Crazy athlete and knows how to play zone. A swiss army knife player, he does remind me of a young Micah Hyde. I am not sure they go safety round 1 but the value may be there in the back half of the first round. Ideally, as a lot of people have mentioned you get a WR early, but I would not be surprised if they go secondary or defensive line. Something has to give at safety, but there is a strong free-agent class for safeties so we shall see. All the hype on DeJean is whether or not he will be a corner...I think he could play corner, ala Micah Hyde/Minkah Fitzpatrick types...but he's going to be a better safety imo. For the combine, it's going to probably come down to his 40, which as a track guy, should be pretty good. I dunno...I see faster Micah Hyde..

Maybe it’s a weird comp, but I see Aaron Hernandez. Don’t kill me. He was a little bigger and thicker because he was shorter. If you look back at his rookie year he was catching a ton of short option routes, outs and a few seam plays in this E-P offense. Where the Pats took advantage is they used him all over the place, in the slot, in line, in the backfield, full back, h back, wing…it’s what the Bills should be doing with Kincaid. The Pats also made him a big target in the red zone. Both are more slapped up receiver and offensive weapon than true tight ends, but both are pretty darn good blockers. Hernandez was excellent after the catch, taking a 3 yard hitch and turning it into 15 yards and Kincaid has some of that in his game, he is just a bit more raw. But that’s my comp on the field. I do hope we get a little more creative with his usage.

Yeah, Gabe gets more. I think that is going to be a crazy market. Not a lot out there so I think young guys like Gabe and Micahel Pittman are going to get seriously overpaid.

I think it is a fair argument. I am thinking about the offense overall. I think Davis has his ups and downs, but he isn't special and I think you can replace his production with mid-round guys. I like that he is big, but he doesn't play big. Maybe that can develop over time. Samuel isn't special either, but his speed is his standout trait that we don't have on the roster. I'd give him the money over Davis. I don't think they will be able to afford a Tee Higgins type. So wading into the next tier and Samuel makes sense to me.

Oh yeah, I don't think he is good, but they like him and there is a relationship there going back to North Carolina, so I could see them circling back. I'd stick with Kyle because ultimately, I am not sure it matters.

Nah WR2, a Gabe Davis replacement...I don't think we can find a WR1 in free agency. Diggs is 1, Samuel 2, Shakir 3...hopefully, they draft a premium WR somehow who could push that pecking order down.

It's apples to oranges. He is making 4.25 dollars APY. That is slightly higher than your typical backup center, but he also has the versatility to play guard and maybe some tackle. He was also an offer sheet that was matched, so Buffalo probably had to go a little higher than they wanted to retain him. Additionally, Bates started 15 games last year and his salary is quite low for a staring guard/center. Also, we have been lucky. O-Linemen get hurt a lot, and ours has been okay thus far, knock on wood. Our starting center does have some issues with injuries in the past. Finally, having Bates at a slightly higher salary is okay with me because you have a rookie starting at RG making nothing. Again teams with a QB on a rookie contract can afford a more expensive backup. When your QB makes 43 million a year it's tough to sign a backup for 7-8 million dollars and it doesn't make fiscal sense.

Premium backups like Brissett make 8 million a year. Heinecke makes 7 million. The next tier of backups is in the 4-6 million range, and then you have the Kyle Allen group who make a 1-1.5 million per. Paying a backup 8 million when you have a starting QB on an expensive long-term contract is just irresponsible and unrealistic. In a cap world that money needs to be used elsewhere. The only teams with an expensive QB1 and expensive QB2 are teams that have top-ten picks as backups on a rookie contract like the Jets and Cowboys. I am not sure I want to spend a pick before the 6-7 range either. UDFA is the way to go though. I get it, if Josh gets hurt we are screwed, but that would be true with any backup really. That said, maybe a Trubisky or a Sam Darnold might make some sense in that 4 million dollar-a-year range. But that money could be the difference in having to cut or retain a guy more important to the team.

Curtis Samuel makes a lot of sense in my opinion. He can play inside and out, runs 4.31. Isn’t huge but isn’t a smurf. He played for Joe Brady under Matt Rhule, and had his most productive season. Brandon Beane also had a hand in drafting him before he came to Buffalo. To me, Samuel is what they need. Ideally they draft a guy who is 6-4 and runs 4.31. But Samuel is probably in that tier right below Higgins etc in terms of free agency. I’m not sure they will go after a Higgins. This team needs speed.

Sorry long…Vs the Pats, I think Brady tried to get too cute with all of those little quick screens. Those were wasted downs. I am not a fan of going sideways. The other thing that concerned me was the Bills didn’t seem to run a ton of crossing patterns and mesh. Mesh had killed the Pats over the last few years with the mismatch in man in the slot. McDermott has said it, but this team isn’t great playing from behind. Josh tries to be a hero and Brady/Dorsey both seemed to try to win the game quickly. Patience wears thin. That was the issue with the KOR TD. For the most part I’d consider Brady a disciple of Sean Payton, who is an Erhardt-Perkins coach. So in terms of the playbook, I am not sure what would really change if he became the full time guy with a full offseason. I’m sire he would add wrinkles and change concepts in building the playbook. But E-P is E-P. When Brady was at LSU he was all about the empty set, four-five wide, speed everywhere and using the back out of the backfield, which we have seen some of thus far. Brady has been around some really good coaches, and is still young, so I like his potential. He was able to climb the ladder so quick because he is smart and grinds. Am I convinced? I don’t know, but I do like him a lot. I say get him some speed on offense and I think he will thrive. The thing that scares me the most is the fact that the OC here becomes the CEO of the offense. Again he is still a young guy and with a defensive head coach, Brady is the boss of the offense. He’s surrounded by experienced guys who have been OCs like Rob Boras, Aaron Kromer, and Mike Shula. But if it’s not Brady, who is it going to be? You can’t get a premium OC from another team unless they get fired or you grab a guy who works for an offensive HC who calls his own plays. You want the Shanahan offense? Mike LaFluer from the Rams could make sense though he could get a head job. What LaFluer did with the Jets calling plays with Zack Wilson and Mike White is pretty impressive. Klint Kubiak is well versed in the Shanahan offense and is currently the passing game coach in San Fran, he has also called plays before. Perhaps Brian Callahan of the Bengals who works under Zac Taylor. Alex Van Pelt of the Browns? Experienced West coast offense guy, perhaps a Bill Lazor? Again I am not really advocating for any of those guys aside from maybe LaFluer…but I think Brady is just as interesting as a lot of these guys. Fun random fact, Brady played for Jimmye Laycock at William and Mary who coincidentally played QB for Marv Levy at William and Mary in the late 1960s.

Year after year, somehow this is always a popular topic. But I agree with a few who mentioned no one really knows how Kyle would play. But an athletic smart guy who is a positive presence in the room is good to have. At the end of the day, a premium backup is too expensive to make any sense.

Browns is my guess. His best years were when Kevin Stefanski was his OC. So he’s plug and play there this late in the season. To me that is the best fit. in fact most of his success came in that Shannahan/Gary Kubiak system. So the other teams who make sense are the 49ers and the Dolphins, he grew up a Dolphins fan. The Rams and Texans also run the same system. If he wants a ring he should go to the Niners and add to the weapons there.

100%! Those guys are amazing. Bill Callahan might be the goat, but I’ve done some clinic work with Scott Peters the assistant OL coach and he is going to climb the coaching ranks. He is the real deal, tremendous knowledge and melded OL technique with MMA principles. He is doing some incredible stuff.

Not a PFF guy, the fact that the Browns aren’t up there is ridiculous. But, Connor McGovern has been the key in my opinion. I loved the pickup and felt there was untapped potential there and he has been a perfect fit on the left side. His presence also helps Dion to a certain degree. Dion is having an awesome year. I thought they would out him on the right side, I was wrong there and his left side movements are very natural. I was very much against the Torrence in the 1st round idea, but in the second it was a no brainer. I think he has played very well, obviously has had some ups and downs, but really can’t ask for more from a plug and play starter. Whipping boy Spencer Brown has been excellent as well. Having Torrence next to him helps, but man Brown has really come around. Morse is the anchor and playing well, his flaws in the power game are still the same, but the fact that he is probably our worst linemen at this point and his play hasn’t changed much just goes to how how much the players around him have improved. I certainly have to give Kromer credit as well.

I love how “Just let us play Mahomes” looks around for a call after every play.

Finally a holding call jeez

Man, I love the way he is running north-south. Really making one cut and then letting his speed go. This is what we have all been waiting for in terms of a dual-threat weapon. Teams are in trouble if they continue to cover him with linebackers. Hopefully all the debate about Singletary etc finally just goes away.

Agreed. And they seem to like to circle back to those guys they liked pre-draft who maybe slipped through their fingers.

I would love to get our hands on Xavier McKinney. I assume he will be very expensive. there are a lot of interesting DBs in the draft as well, but it would be better to add to the offense.

Let's make signs and recruit him Takeo Spikes style during our NE game. I like him.

Thank you! I appreciate it. A lot of people questioned us. We finished 8-2 and lost in the semis so a successful year, but I feel like we left some meat on the bone. We took the eventual state champs to a 7-7 tie in the 4th quarter until they took the lead on us. The season ended on a tipped (3 times!) pass interception. But we will reload.

I would agree with that for sure. I think it will start with special teams. I am a high school varsity coach and teacher so tend to disappear in the fall. Still follow and lurk. Season is over unfortunately so now I have some time to engage more!