RocCityRoller

Oof, I get the long shot, but McDermott has barely been mentioned in the past after his draft (the one before Beane) and breaking the playoff drought. I suppose if the Bills go on a big roll early he could. I think Coach of the Year voting/ input is finalized before the Super Bowl. Is that right? It would make McDermott winning it even harder if true.

I know you meant this as funny. It's not. More families are affected by skin cancer than you realize. It gets worse the later you and your family members age. I have been there personally and seen it spread. It's not funny or a 'light issue'. Add to it that simple 'elective procedures' like cancer screenings were stopped for almost a year in NY due to 'the pandemic'. Cancer deaths are now through the roof. I've seen a few sources show that non-COVID deaths among 18-59 are 40% higher than expected by insurance companies. My non-conspiracy brain tells me that 'elective screenings' like skin cancer biopsies/ colonoscopies/ paps etc are important to catching early cancers and preventing premature death. But those were suspended and are now backed up since thousands of health care workers were thrown out like garbage in NYS. We will see a death bump in preventable cancer deaths in the next few years due to attitudes like yours and policies from Albany. Is that still funny to you?

We've been really spoiled as fans with this safety combo. We have 1-2 yrs more of it. They make this Defense work. Hoping some of the young guys can leech every bit of knowledge from Poyer and Hyde. I would not be surprised to see either or both be coaches after. VEry smart players with just enough physical talent left (both over 30) to make teams pay. I was surprised Buffalo didn't draft a top 5-10 S prospect in what was a deep S class, so they could learn, and in worse case scenario play with one of the the S.

@NewEra@JayBaller10 Count me in the Nick McCloud fanbase, or 'intrigued by' club. I really liked what he showed last pre-season. Wrong thread to go in depth, but yeah some of us are really interested to see what he can do. As for Edmunds, I feel like most of us have a pretty good feel for what he can and can't do in this defense, with what he is tasked with. A lot of folks think it is not worthy of a big money second contract.

thanks, was this the podcast referred to by LeGOATski in the other thread?

Thanks. I thought this thread was about Tre Edmunds.... anything but the last few pages.

Bless your heart 🤣

Good points for Moss. I still get the feeling Moss gets a lot of looks in pre-season as a show case. Buffalo has done it in the past with this leadership group. 1) evaluate his health and how well he runs behind this OL and blocking scheme, he may be improved and have more benefit to the Bills 2) he shows out and another team offers a decent pick for him. Duke Johnson becomes the reserve 'break in case of emergency' RB like Yeldon or Breida in seasons past. Still a bit bummed Antonio Williams left. I liked his running style and thought he was a tough North-South style runner. I could see Williams having a solid season for the Giants spelling Barkley or filling in if Saquon Barkley gets injured. Daboll and Schoen jumped on him early and the G-men don't have great depth behind Barkley if I recall correctly. Breida and Williams will probably be fighting for RB2.

The Marshawn Lynch Guide to Buffalo 🤣

Suffering from Hemorrhoids? Get Tucks medicated pads.

Great plan! Envious TBH. I've lived in Philly/ outside of Boston/ Rochester, NY metro and the Adirondacks. I'll point out some things Buffalonians are too shy to point out that are good destinations in the city or as day trips. Buffalo Naval Park - The near loss of the Fletcher Class Destroyer 'The Sullivans' brought some much needed attention to this Buffalo gem. There are three ships with walking tours (not currently 'The Sullivans' for obvious reasons) of a Cleveland Class cruiser, Fletcher Class Destroyer and a Submarine. There is also an excellent collection of Vietnam era vehicles and weaponry. Albright Knox Gallery. One of the best small/mid sized city galleries in the country. Another Buffalo gem. Caught a Picasso exposition there. Was surprised to see an original Pollack there, among other greats. Excellent museum/gallery in a beautiful area. Really underrated. Fort Niagara - Colonial era military fort a day trip, cool history there, not thought of often. On Lake Ontario. Niagara-On-The-Lake, Canada - good day trip if you and your buddy have dates. Cute small town kind of like a smaller version of Cape May, NJ or Newport, RI. The girls will dig it. Niagara Falls Canada - took friends from Southern NJ there and we made a great day of it by doing the caves/ Skylon tower/ Smokes Poutine/ Casino. 'Canadian Ballet' on Lundy's Lane can be fun for bachelors with a few $$$ to spend (D Watson would approve!) Eateries are all over, leave the pretensions at the door. Charlie the Butchers (a few locations) is my favorite Beef on Weck so far. Anchor Bar may not be the favorite of locals, but is worth the visit IMO. My out of state friend insisted we go to the original home of Buffalo wings and we both enjoyed it. The motorcycle collection was really impressive too. Kelly's Korner is a solid BOW too. Schwabl's is worth the visit and a Buffalo area institution. I'll let the board recommend wings. They are all better than you get around the rest of the country. There are a lot of camping areas (state parks etc) along Lake Ontario if that is your thing. Ontario also has some sandy beaches and boat charters. Not sure about Lake Erie. Darien Lake is a solid amusement park between Buffalo and Rochester. Good selection of roller coasters and rides. They also have a big concert venue that draws a lot of national acts. I caught Slayer's farewell tour with Anthrax, Testament and Lamb of God there. Darien Lake was a former Six Flags location. It won't displace your favorite amusement park, but it is a solid day out and worth it in late summer/ early fall, especially if you catch a concert there in the evening. Don't be afraid to visit Rochester, NY too. It's an hour east on I-90. George Eastman House - tours of the mansion built by the founder of Kodak. Has an amazing museum of film/ pictures/ cameras etc including a duplicate satellite not used. Dryden Theater plays old movies and has great guests like Alec Baldwin (haha!) and the founder of Troma films. Genesee Brew House - I know, I know you are thinking of Genny Cream Ale and Genny Light, but the Brew House has a really nice selection of Pilot Batch beers that do not make it out of Western NY, much less Rochester. The demand for it's Salted Carmel Porter led to a regional release. The Brew House overlooks a beautiful 90 foot waterfall in the middle of downtown Rochester. Genesee is New York state's oldest operating brewery. Festivals, Festivals, Festivals - we have about a dozen. The Rochester Jazz Festival is one of the top 10 jazz festivals in the USA. I happens in late June (happening now). We also have the Lilac Festival that brings about 100k visitors a year. There are many others throughout the year. Food/ Eateries - Buffalo has Wings and Beef on Weck. Rochester has 'The Garbage Plate'. Nick Tahou's is the originator. Look it up. The original location is still open in an old Pittsburgh, Rochester and Buffalo Rail Station. Dinosaur BBQ originated in Syracuse, but the Rochester location is it's second home. It is excellent Kansas City style BBQ in another old train station. Sticky Lips Juke Joint is a fun suburban spot with a huge bar, good BBQ and live music. lot's of other kitch style places and tastes. The high Asian student population at the U of R and RIT leads to good Asian style foods, even if the settings are not Michelin level. Frozen Custard - it is different than ice cream or frozen yogurt. I know Buffalo has some local institutions, but Abbots Frozen Custard is the go-to in Rochester. Locations throughout the area. If Rita's is the Philadelphia answer to water ice, Abbots is the frozen custard equivalent. I recommend Chocolate Almond. Classical Music/ Jazz - Eastman Theater - The University of Rochester has one of the best music schools in the country. The Eastman Theater is a gem that offers seasonal classical music with international guest conductors. The Nutcracker is performed here each year, often with international support. Stop at Java's Coffee House on Gibbs Street. One of the best coffee houses in New York. An institution for over 50 years. Excellent coffee and ambiance. Theater - Rochester Broadway Theater League has a home at the Auditorium Theater. The theater is an old 1920s style Masonic Temple. I caught the off Broadway version of 'Wicked' there, and it was the best theater production I have ever seen. The local professional theater is GEVA, housed in an old armory, and does a great 'Christmas Carol' production every year. CMAC is in Canandaigua and gets national shows and concerts. It is in the Finger Lakes and is a cool town/ village with good eating options. I caught Garrison Keeler and 'Prairie Home Companion' there. (Yes I like Slayer and Prairie Home Companion) As for Buffalo rentals, please consider my experience. Find one in the off-season before students return (June/ July). Buffalo and Rochester draw a lot of foreign students who can afford and rent some of the best apartments in the area. There is also a strong enough economy here (despite reports stating otherwise) to suck up most apartments you would want. I moved back to WNY from Boston in August 2016. I considered Buffalo and Rochester, and preferred Buffalo. I wanted a nice newer loft conversion/ apartment and had a decent budget and good job offer with Key Bank, but I had a hard time finding available rentals in Buffalo in August due to students returning. (No apartments available) I ended up returning to Rochester and my second best offer. Rents in WNY have doubled since the recession end of 2010, but are still affordable by most national standards, the key is finding an available unit in a place you want to live. Rents in the best Buffalo locations were 70-80% the cost of similar rentals in metro Boston at the time. The top dollar rentals in Boston were higher, but the high middle/ middle end were comparable in Buffalo (70-80%). Rents in Rochester, NY in new conversions and towers are $1500-2500 a month, and more are made every year. Don't dally. Let us know what kind of things you and your friend like and we will help you find it. Western NY is a cool place to visit, and has a little of everything with 2 x 1 million metros, Niagara Falls, two Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes within about an hour of each other. We as locals often don't take advantage of what is possible from Rochester/ Finger Lakes to Buffalo/ Niagara Falls. If you can escape the winters, and claim taxes in another state, WNY is a beautiful and fun place to live from May to late November.

I think all guys are bubble guys and generally agree with the board. Most likely cut/ traded most likely to less likely: Ford - 75%+ to be cut or traded. The guy is a bust. I think Ford is an example of a guy who did well in college due to having NFL size and strength. He does not have NFL speed or foot movement. It's like he has cement blocks on his shoes. The OL has continued to be in transition for a few seasons. Replacement level guys like Mongo/ Boettger/ Williams (now replacement level) and Bates have all taken hold of a position and played well for stretches. Ford has failed every time. Hiring a respected OL coach like Kromer may make it easier for OBD to cut Ford and move on. Swing and a miss on Ford, but it happens. I hope this triggers OBD to do some legitimate investment in OL next offseason. Moss - 50-50 to me. He was supposed to be a bruiser type back. He did really well against his level of competition while with Utah, but the NFL is another beast. Both he and Singletary are slow by NFL RB standards. Before people go quoting 40 speeds, I am talking about game speed. Cook is going to expose just how slow this backfield really is. The thing is none of the top 3/4 backs are a true RB 1. Moss is an excellent blocker, he has shown much better hands than I thought he had. He is not a pile mover like we all wanted him to be. He isn't slippery like Singletary is. He has an uphill battle. I expect him to be featured in pre-season for trade bait. If he is a Bill I wish him the best, but I would not be surprised if he was dealt or a last cut candidate. I was one of the big Moss supporters last off season. Epenessa - 25% - Totally mismanaged. Weight up, weight down, buried on the depth chart. I think Epenessa is a valuable rotational piece at DE with the losses of Hughes and Addison. I know Miller was added and Lawson is back. I think we see flashes of plays from Epenessa. Least likely to be cut or traded. A big factor will be how many DE does Buffalo carry? Rousseau and Miller are locks. I am higher than most on Basham. Basham's efficiency was excellent for his playtime. I'm not sure who DE 4 is. I think it is a camp battle between Lawson and Epenessa. If 5 or more DE are kept I think Epenessa is safe. I do think Buffalo keeps only 10 DL this year.

Great thread folks! I miss Van Miller, one of the voices of my childhood. I started getting into football around 1985. What a tremendous catch by Hooks before the TD! Poor Joey Ferguson. For a guy who was a QB of the Bills for over a decade, and had an NFL career of 17 or so seasons, and did help Buffalo get to some playoff appearances and a few improbable wins, he doesn't get too much love these days. Would love to see him welcomed back this season to lead a charge (or nicely paced walk!) He is 72, could probably do it with that jaunty gait of his.

Efficiency is the key. You nailed it. 2 yards and a cloud of dust with plodders is not successful. 4 YPC and a 2nd or 3rd and 6 is a good place to be with JA. I can see some more 'quick pass' concepts being brought in. Get the ball out of JAs hands quicker, so he is less likely to run and take extra hits. Rollouts, play action, screens etc. See if the speed difference in Cook vs Singletary/ Moss adds YAC. Same with the multitude of slot guys we have now. I could see Buffalo going 4 wide or empty backfield (4 WR/ 1 TE) often and making quick hits this year as a defacto run game. Lastly, Cook did average 6 YPC at Georgia. I don't expect 6 YPC, but a healthy 4+ should be available. Fans are thinking Cook is only a receiving back, not true. Get a team on its heels and then run some draws or motion/ move based runs (this is what Bates is good for) and let Cook's vision and speed do damage. Cook's size is the limiting factor in taking carries/ hits, not his vision or ability to run.

get paid in wheat and you will be wealthy this fall

I wonder what kind of financial advisor was willing to be paid in Bitcoin?

Ok so I understand your POV better, and I hope I demonstrated the other side. It's really rare to have such a great apples to apples comparison as Crowder vs Beasley prior to signing with the Bills and JA for the same role. JA lifts a lot of WR to be their best. Jones/ Foster/ Brown/ Diggs/ Beasley. One could argue all of them had their best season/s with JA. Crowder was brought in to replace Beasley, the outside WR stuff is really noise that doesn't apply to Crowder IMO. When looking to see if Crowder can fill in, or improve over Beasley, I have to look at what both guys did before joining JA versus comparing a WR paired with JA, and a WR stuck on a poor offense and mediocre at best QB play. Given that perspective, I just don't see a drop off from Beasley to Crowder, as long as Crowder stays healthy. If this is your major issue, then I agree that Crowder missing 9 games the past 2 seasons is troubling. Bease played though a lot of injuries. Will Crowder do the same for a competitive team? What did Crowder have to gain by playing hurt for the Jets? Nothing. It seems OBD also is doubling and tripling down with Shakir and Austin. A little motivation for Crowder to stay in games. Another way to look at my POV. After 2-3 years on the Bills offense, who will be a more productive WR by their 10th season? We have the receipts from Beasley. I think Crowder will easily pass Beasley by season 10 in every category and at worst match Beasley's production here with JA. Can Crowder make that tough 3rd and 12 catch? Will JA trust him? Will he stay healthy? Those are my questions. Chemistry should be a 1 season or less issue. Even Bease dropped to a 63% catch % season 1 with JA (career 71%). It rebounded the next 2 seasons. Love him or hate him Bease is cooked. Through 7 seasons Crowder is clearly the better WR. Now he has the benefit of playing on a functional offense with Josh Allen. Crowder was an upgrade over Beasley.

Hey Badolbillz. I'm a Beasley fan and appreciated his time here. Even now. The sentiment toward him on TSW was pretty awful the last year or so IMO. All of that said, I'm not sure how you argue Crowder is less productive than Beasley. Bease and Crowder each played 7 seasons before joining Buffalo. Beasley is 5'8" 175, Crowder is 5'9" 177. Beasley's first season with Buffalo was his age 30 season, Crowder will be 29. Both were 3rd WR/ slot guys in their respective past. Very similar pedigree. Before Buffalo: (7 seasons each): All stats from Pro Football Reference Beasley: 103 games - 450 targets - 319 rec - 70.9% catch - 3271 yards - 10.3 ypc - 23 TD - 31.8 yards per game. Crowder: 96 games - 611 targets - 409 rec - 66.9% catch - 4607 yards - 11.3 ypc - 28 TD - 48.0 yards per game Both guys played similar roles and played 7 seasons before joining Buffalo. In 7 fewer games Crowder had 161 more targets, 90 more receptions, 1336 more yards, 1 more YPC, 5 more TD and 16+ more yards per game than Beasley. One could argue Beasley was more efficient with a 4% higher catch %, but Beasley had better QB play. Availability is also an ability, +1 to Bease. Before Buffalo Crowder has 3x seasons of 750+ yards receiving Beasley had 1 Crowder had 3x seasons of 6+ TD Beasley had 0 (he had 2x of 5 TDs) Crowder actually brings more to the table than Bease did at the time they signed with the Bills. Crowder was a sneaky good signing. I think Diggs/ Davis/ Crowder is a fine 3 WR starting unit.

Just my opinion, but the QB swap basically offsets the money. No QB egos are hurt by their old team having to 'eat their salary' or a portion of it. Could be a trade of Darnold and Anderson (who apparently does not want to play with Mayfield) for Mayfield and a conditional pick/ D Peoples-Jones. Darnold and Mayfield get new starts. Anderson is not a headache. Browns have plenty of space to absorb everyone's contract $. Messy situations avoided. Both teams could get better as a result.

I feel fine with Davis. 60 for 840 (14 ypc) and 6-8 TDs would be a good season, given the Bills are not a 2 WR team.

I did just this and shared it a few months ago. The output by Beasley and Crowder before joining the Bills was remarkably similar. Given that Bease played with better QBS it was pretty much a wash. I think Crowder and Allen will need a few games to click. Beasley was money on 3rd down and rarely dropped or was OOB for those catches. He had a 71% catch rate in Buffalo, which aligns with his whole career. His first year with JA was poor for him 63%. Daboll learned how to use him, Beasley learned the concepts and JA began to trust him. I'd expect the same with Crowder. That said I think 29 yr old Crower has more in the tank than 33 yr old Beasley. I think it's a horizontal move, and a bit younger.

I think Settle is going to do what they wanted Harrison Phillips to do on a more regular footing. Horrible Harry is a heck of a teammate and good guy in general from all accounts. Just hard to slate him for x productivity over y games. I hope he does well in Minnesota.

I don't know about top 4, but they seem more aligned with how these guys like to run a defense. Both will have a legitimate chance to start or get heavy rotation. I like having Lawson and Phillips back. Phillips best production came in this defense. I don't expect him to duplicate his 9 or 10 sack season, but the guy can get after the QB and finish if the back half of the defense is covering well. Those two also keep the energy up and joke around and keep things light.

This has been edited since the OP. They had DaQuan Jones #32 and listed with the Titans. Now Harrison Phillips is #32, Jones is off the list and Ed Oliver mysteriously jumped onto the list at #12. 'Journalism' and 'analysis' at its finest 😄

They still have DaQuon Jones as a Titan (#32)