WideNine

Some "hot takes" on players I remember from this board. Not that I think folks are wishing for any players we pickup to struggle. Edmunds was very replaceable at LB. Cody Ford was going to struggle with foot speed and subsequently his balance and leverage in pass pro. Kromer may have been able to coach him up more and get more out of him as a run game mauler that I think he was better suited to. Humphrey at center was a better bet than Basham. I think this board universally hated on Kelvin Benjamin and questioned his work ethic and effectiveness the moment he refused to warm up and catch passes with our young QB Josh Allen before a game. He did not pan out here or anywhere else. We are overpaying for Star. The list goes on and on and to be fair of course the times when there were different opinions and I like that too... folks to challenge opinions. I loved his aggressive playing style but argued that Taron Johnson would never stay healthy enough to be a solid contributor. Apologies to Taron who has turned in many great seasons and is recognized as one of the premier slot corners in the league. I wanted Hokenson or the TE the Jags drafted over Knox. Folks here argued you don't take a TE that high. Oliver has outshined Hockenson and that Jags TE tore himself up in training camp and ended up on IR his first 2 seasons. I think he is now on the Vikings and is considered a blocking TE. Looks like he ate that guy who was drafted. I was worried going into last season with Bernard who looked so overwhelmed as a rookie in 2022. The Bills can coach these guys up if they have the athletic ceiling. It is too funny that the national media has labeled him as a breakout player this year - what was last year?

That was a blind spot on this thread. And could well turn out to be the most urgent area to nail down if a few misses cost us key games. The teams on our menu this year are not pushovers and many games may likely be decided by a kick. There were years where I dreaded every punt, kickoff, and field goal because our Bills made those routine areas of the game that most fans take for granted into an adventure. Finally thought that area was solid when we coined our Bassomatic label. Never envisioned him getting a terminal case of the yips. Apparently they brought in some competition. Different isn't always better, but Bass needs to be better.

That, and half our starters are usually on crutches or sporting arm slings and braces by the post season. The drop off from our starters to the retired Kline and one-armed Dodsons of the sport is noticeable. And Tim Settle or Phillips are not the same player as Jones on the interior. Cannot count how many times I saw Settle getting rag dolled out there. Against KC where their OL strength is guard-to-guard you have to be stout in the middle.

Well, it was not like Davis and Diggs were putting the fear of God into opponents as the Bills faced the most man coverage. Opponents just were not scared to put their DBs on an island with our WRs so I am curious if any of our new crop find a way to demand more attention/respect. I think we have some guys with speed and some separators in that receiving room now who did not have someone like Allen throwing to them before along with a compliment of guys with size that can highpoint, fight, and win 50/50 throws. As to corners it would be nice to go into a playoff game with KC more healthy with Benson active and our full compliment of starting coverage LBs. Some changes at safety, but I trust McD to get the most out of those guys.

I would say an impact DE, but not too far behind that a young 1-tech that can impact the pocket and control the A gaps. We know where we are at with the lack of game closers come playoffs. So DEs that can get there or at least impact throws is high on that list and that guy who can compress the pocket and force the double teams that free up the rush. Not expecting a lot out of Von just hoping for adequate play where the coaches are careful with his reps to get the most out of him - injuries and father time matter. I like Jones as a 1-tech. But he has been dinged down the stretch for us the past 2 seasons. Glad we moved on from some underperformers on that interior DL that get blown off their spot. The moves look like upgrades on paper and should help spell the big guy, but finding Jones successor would be in my future plans.

I get a kick out of the commercials we had back then. Had a buddy who had one of those 2nd generation Ford Fiestas... just wouldn't die.

Winning is always the best revenge. That and Miami sinking under the ocean once all those glaciers melt.

I like this take on Diggs. You don't want conflict that rises to a team distraction, but you want guys who are passionate about winning or losing so it's a balance thing. We have seen players in this league that just collect the check and are unfazed when on the wrong side of a tight loss or blowout. Who wants that? What I always have said, it was a good time for a fresh start for both the team and Diggs and no hard feelings as I think he balled out for us as long as he could with the way our offense was designed with Daboll and a bit with Dorsey. Often could tell he was playing dinged up too. That being said, you could see more of a change in offensive philosophy with Brady, less funneling of targets thru your #1 and more towards more run/pass balance for manageable down and distance and to keep the chains moving. ...and there is the cap. Organizations have to retool

Oh yeah kid??? Well, we own you in the regular season so... OK your right.

Offense: Peyton Manning Defense: Reggie White

I agree, we have a tough schedule and more than a few will come down to getting the ball thru the pipes. They gave him a secure deal and he crapped the bed last season. I would not say he is a lock and they should always welcome competition and see if he can get back to form, if not...

Off ball wide 9 alignments where he can use his quickness off the snap, low center of balance, and long arms to gain the edge. Not a stack and shed guy, but has a high motor and can slip between blockers, navigate traffic and has a nose for finding the ball on running plays. If OL blockers get their hands on him I think they win so hand fighting and using that long reach will be crucial if teams run at him. Interesting prospect and a kind of end we have not seen in a McDermott defense. We will see how much of his game transfers to the pros, but we need some juice on those 3rd and longs.

If all things were equal, just not sure. If they were equal, Allen would have been groomed in a major college program and landed on a team where the HC was a brilliant OC. I guess another way of looking at it equally would be does Mahomes have the same success if he went to the Bills in the draft and Allen to the Chiefs? Holy glitch on my Droid...sorry if folks saw the multi-entries.

Probably Lee Evans with his 4.3 speed and decent hands. Perhaps James Lofton in his prime would have been hard to pass up. Evans would be that piece that could take the top off a defense and would force more defenses to double him. Plenty of great receivers the Bills have had, but I took the question to mean what past receiver that I think would work best for Allen today as a complimentary piece to the WR room I think they will have this season.

You have to go with the Chiefs till another team can prove that they are likely to beat them in the post season which has been very hard during the Mahomes/Reid/Spags era - they are a team that consistently makes the post season and once there they elevate their post-season play and opponent game planning from what you see in the regular season. The Bills are the next best bet as they are consistently sniffing around the post season and just have not had the juice to get far enough. Much of that I attribute to our defenses simply unable to close the door when we have a late lead. We need to be healthier (particularly on defense) down the stretch.

Definitely would factor into telegraphing throws and having more being tipped.

With Coleman, Kincaid, and Knox and big ol' Allen throwing to them do we need more size? All those haters out there piling onto the tiny 6 ft. guy 😁 Maybe he just looked small around those dudes.

I think one of my all time favorites was the QB sneak against Dallas on that Thanksgiving. Where it looked like he was stopped short, but he just would not be denied ripping the ball away from defenders and dragging a few past the marker. We can nit-pick Allen's decisions and techniques all day and compare him to what other QBs do well, but you cannot deny his heart.

I think that is necessary to disrupt those timing routes, but Mahomes and Allen also excel at extending plays off script. He does a lot of damage there too, but I agree you need that size and coverage ability to challenge them the whole time and contest every catch. A defender knows he has done that job well when he gets Gronked by a TE he is glued to after the play is dead.

I felt like it was a somewhat bizarre season last year for interceptions. There were some bone-headed throws where you are thinking where were you going with that - throws that all QBs make from time to time, but it seemed like he had a lot more tipped passes than prior seasons that ended up in the wrong hands. I was thinking that may have something to do with the way more teams were playing him. More teams have their DL play off a bit with disciplined rush lanes to try to better contain Allen and keep him hemmed into the pocket. Then more of them were just getting their hands into the throwing lanes. These stats are always a bit subjective. You also have to consider the hit a QB takes when they lose an OC and that relationship Allen had with Daboll and then having to adjust to a new one. And then adjusting again mid-season last year. That Allen weathered that as well as he did was a testament to him, but also to the smart way Brady approached that transition.

That will be interesting as I thought I heard Marino and others mention that less teams were doubling Diggs last year. We will see, I think receiver by committee is the best approach, but QBs will always favor anyone who is clutch for them whenever they need that kind of a play. That's why you always try to take their primary away to force them out of that safety blanket... Easier said than done apparently. I am still baffled by how much Kelce gets wide open. Nike must have some kind of radar absorbent material he wears.

I think he is improving on where his eyes go on plays and I think you have to have the right OC that can help encourage Allen to use the right progressions and outlets. Then the incredible things only he can do when things break down or he sees a defensive gap are just gravy. The last few years he has really evolved his game. He had to as the book on him was take away his deep reads and favorite deep targets, and force him to hold onto the ball and into mistakes. It did not help that our O-Line were mostly castoffs and misfits outside of Morse and Dawkins. They constantly leaked pressures so it was only natural that they would force Allen off his spot and into a scramble drill where he was usually looking deep. Also, Allen was a raw project out of Wyoming so the emphasis should have been to shore up his protection as new QBs always take longer to process and hold onto the ball longer. Good thing Allen does have wheels. I feel better about out interior line, but not sold yet that we have our answer at RT considering the injuries and inconsistent play there. Having an OC that knows how to help Allen play within a framework, to use the right progressions, leverage more of their offensive weapons, and lean into the run will only help accelerate his growth and the QBR along with it without breaking the amazing things he can only do. Allen sometimes really struggles putting touch on his cannon arm and putting the ball in the right place in shorter throws for RAC, but I think he is working on that quite a bit and did show some improvement last year. To hit those screens, wheels, and outlets you don't need a cannon arm rather it is more about touch, timing, and placement. Does not hurt to target receivers that have a great catch radius too.

I don't know if I would say it is completely dead as everything in the NFL tends to be a cyclical chess match. There was certainly a shift to more 2 and 3-deep zone play and playing off receivers keeping everything in front of you, but that may be changing too Cosell goes into that a bit in this article. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2024/05/23/greg-cosell-nfl-press-coverage-ljarius-sneed-a-j-terrell-joey-porter-jr/73815502007/

They will use him motion which both tells their offense if it he is in man coverage and makes it really hard to jam the release. Also that motion opens the door on jet sweeps or just the horizontal displacement of the defense allowing someone like Kelce to find all the soft spots to sit. We should be familiar with it as it is Miami's bread & butter for their speedsters. There is that durability factor that those smaller guys with lighter frames. They don't tend to hold up over a full season. The outlier being the Cheetah who has a stockier build and has been pretty durable.

I don't like "never", but agree that it is yet to be seen in the big games with KC. They need to do some better self scouting of how their defense will be attacked and we desperately need better luck on the injury front. Last year it was clear we did not have the depth needed around the box with injuries to LBs, DL as well as Taron, Benford, and Douglas who are good at playing down low or coming up to make stops. I think as good as Benford has been for us when healthy he has not been able to suit up for any of our playoff games. KC countered with a lot of heavy 3-TE alignments that took advantage of those mismatches.