LSHMEAB

Man. I thought I was a pessimist. This guy puts all the naysayers to shame!

Ok. So the link is interesting and does provide some insight. There were several occasions in which Star was doubled and several where he was not. What I do notice is that the double teams don't last long. They pretty quickly have him contained and one of the blockers moves on to a secondary target. So while that does provide value in slowing the play down, I don't see it as a traditional double. He clogs space. I get that. It'd be great if he could clog space and get a few TFL's or maybe even a sack. His teammates speak glowingly of him, so there's that. And I remember the game well. Cordarrelle Patterson was out there looking like Todd Gurley. Seems to me that BB took advantage of Edmunds youth as well as Milano's absence.

I think you might be taking it a bit too personally. You threw it out there and made some strong arguments. It created a long dialogue about Jones and people have made solid cases on both sides. I'm slightly encouraged by Zay's offseason regimen and hope that gives him some much needed confidence on the field. He hasn't done anything exceptionally well to this point, and I'm not convinced he ever will. That being said, I believe he WILL be on the week one roster for better or worse. Meh. I'm pretty sure you're more interested in seeing the Bills do well than being proven correct on a random thought you had in February. If Zay actually breaks out and makes this thread look silly, the Bills are almost certainly in a good spot.

That was the one year I felt confident we could contain the top QB's. If you want to have an elite defense, you get in the QB's face all day long. That's the way I view it anyways. Of course you need a solid MLB and guys who can cover. But if I'm given the choice, I'll take an imposing front four any day of the week.

They made a ton of offensive acquisitions and they have their QB. I'm sure the offense will need to be addressed next offseason. There's no reason you can't sign Clowney AND address the offense next year. The time to strike is when you're QB is on his rookie deal. Why not NOW? Sustained success just seems like another way of saying next NEXT year. At some point, these guys gotta win.

His sheer mass dictates that two men will often be engaged. Not a classic double team per se. I'm pretty sure opposing teams are not intentionally dedicating two blockers to a guy who never makes plays. And yes, Belichick basically ensured that Star would be singled up by Mason. One of the many reasons we got steamrolled in that game. Exactly.

I love Oliver, but let's not sell K. Williams short. The guy had 48.5 career sacks as an interior defensive lineman. Aaron Donald's come around every 20 years or so. Not quite sure where 48.5 sacks ranks all time among DT's, but I'd guess it's in the top 25. John Randle had 137.5 which is INSANE. One of the more underrated players in the league's history. After that, I'm thinking 48.5 is pretty big. Not HOF big, but nothing to dismiss.

That seems to be the hold up. He was apparently moonlighting as a Harvard Grad student and is closing out his degree in just under 3 months. Just gotta tie up a few loose ends and MAYBE he'll sign.

I would counter with the fact that the Chiefs were scoring points like nobody's business, so the sack numbers are misleading. You're gonna get a ton of opportunities to pile up sacks when teams are already down 21 in the second quarter. So while their defense was trash, I don't think the sack numbers are a great argument against the importance of getting to the QB. But Simms is a really bright guy and I appreciate his insights.

Yeah. I couldn't quite figure out how losing DA hurts. The guy didn't even want to be on the field and I'm sure the little pointers he gave JA have run their course. I wouldn't say we got WORSE at TE, but I don't particularly like the moves we did make. Alot is going to depend on Knox. We spent pretty big draft capital to get him, so he's going to be a pivotal pick.

But that's exactly why I'd be willing to make the move for Clowney. I'm interested in seeing the Bills win NOW. The defense is already good. You add a force like Clowney and it's suddenly one that scares the crap out of opposing QB's. That's a big deal. A dominant defense can help a young QB quite a bit and makes the playoffs a DISTINCT possibility THIS year. I just can't get down with the idea that we should wait until we know what we have on offense before making this kind of deal. We're all in on Allen. If he fails, it's gonna be a total re-do. But when you're all in, you have to go all in. Clowney has 9.5 sacks two straight seasons on a limited number of rushes. He's an extremely talented player with the potential to be even better. You add that guy to Oliver and Hughes and look out. I think people are hung up on Clowney taking some time to develop and being labeled a bust before his career got rolling. He's legit.

Same. Hopefully he knows when to go down. I loved Chandler, but the way he would get held up/stay up fighting for inches while the opponents swatted at the ball(sometimes successfully) made me NERVOUS. We'll see with Knox. I have my doubts, but the upside is there.

Clowney would transform this defense from good to potentially DOMINANT. We don't know what's going to happen with the offense, but I think the pieces are in place for Allen to have a DECENT year. You can win a lot of games with a decent offense and a dominant defense. You won't win a Superbowl, but the playoffs are there for the taking. If this team makes that playoff leap with Allen at QB, it portends good things for the future. Bell is not going to be special outside of Pitt IMO. Rudolph is meh. Clowney would give the Bills the best shot to make the playoffs NOW, and I think that's important for this team.

I have very high hopes for Oliver. Loved the pick and believe he's going to be the most impactful defensive player in the draft. I've beaten the Star horse to death. I'm not a big fan. But having a guy occupying blockers will certainly help EO.

Star is disruptive and athletic? I like you're takes Yolo, but I gotta disagree there. I've been told numerous times that he's vital to the defense so I'm sure he's better than what I see. But disruptive and athletic are not words I attribute to a guy that doesn't make ANY plays.

Did you see that picture from the rookie photo op or whatever? He's huge. I actually have more confidence in Sweeney than I do Knox. He's just solid.

That offense wasn't the same after the Cowboys matchup. Based on the eye test, both Brees and Brady lost velocity as the season progressed. Somehow, even with those diminished skills, Brady Brady'd. I believe that playoff run was the most impressive of his career BECAUSE of the arm issues. The guy was lunging to throw the ball 25-30 yards. At some point, the wheels are gonna fall off. These guys have had incredible careers, but time will beat Tom(and Drew). There's just something about Matty Ice. Don't trust him in big moments.

A 10 yard out is going to be an option on a large number of plays. Peterman loved that route for some VERY odd reason. It's usually a quick throw and he basically just dropped and chucked. I can't put that on the OC's. You really can't take away a particular option for a QB if you're going to play him. He should have never seen the field in the first place. Or the second place. Or the third place. That's on McD.

The list is clearly placing weight on age and more of a "who would you choose to have for the rest of their career?" as opposed to who you'd take for one season. Pretty sure the OP stated as much. I think Winston has to be ahead of Mariotta, and Matt Ryan is way too high. Otherwise, solid.

Yeah. I remember being extremely confident that we'd beat them in the 92/93 AFC Championship game. We always handled them when it mattered. They beat the Flutie lead Bills because of a great play by Trace Armstrong/miscue by Doug, but Marino was a shell of himself and the Bills were not the SB Bills. Kind of crazy to think that Marino was still playing that year.

Agree 100%. I like Hughes. I really do. But what made the deal necessary were the question marks regarding ALL the other DE's on the roster. The position is far from set, so Hughes is a must keep guy for the time being. Me too.

In fairness, Kelce put up 722 yards on 45 catches as a senior with a whopping 16 YPC. He also had 8 touchdowns. When a guy doesn't score a single TD in college, there's naturally going to be skepticism. He's got the athletic ability, but there's something unsettling about a guy that didn't produce. Just have to hope he was misused at Ole Miss.

There's a difference between understanding that we may not understand and absolving someone of guilt/accountability. Nobody in their right mind would claim justice shouldn't be served. At the same time, there must be factors that go into such bizarre behavior that we can't fully understand. Probably better off NOT understanding.

One year prove it deal MAX! If he gets it together, fine. If not, we cut bait.

Loved Schobel. "Didn't set the edge, blah, blah, blah." The guy's job was to tackle the QB and he did. Where you're correct is that DE is still very much a need considering it's probably the most important defensive position(interior pass rushers are a bonus so Oliver is incredibly valuable if he's as good as I believe.) That being said, Hughes is a solid player and I think we may see a bump in his sack production if the offense holds up their end of the bargain. You're not gonna get a ton of sacks down 21 because the opponent is gonna play small ball and the QB is more likely to just chuck it away. He's not an elite player, but he's not being paid like one. It's a perfectly fair deal IMO.