WideNine

Analytics are just another tool in the toolbox. It is not some magical cure-all that creates success. It is like any other tool, it is all about the judicious application of the tool. We all know that putting good information in front of decision-makers does not mean they make the right decisions with it. Look no further than our government for proof. I would not judge this guy too harshly for the Dolphins lack of success.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is never black and white. Allen likes to hit options beyond the sticks so he holds the ball longer. He did not usually have a clean pocket to do that from, but has some pretty effective ability to move around to buy himself more time while keeping his eyes downfield. There were times all our receivers were well covered. There were times our line gave him a clean pocket with enough time to deliver...not that often, but some games were better than others. We can all agree that they flat-out sucked at opening any run lanes. Either way, there is plenty if room for improvement on the line and that stat of holding onto the ball is only useful if one actually watches the games to objectively apply it...alone it does not tell the whole tale.

Defenses are getting better at preventing the quick slant... I think it takes a special kind of DB to cover those from the slot position where it usually is run, but there is a lot of contact that goes unflagged. Most teams do use a variety of formations to setup picks to counter good coverage. All that said, a good TE can chip that edge rusher and is simply a mismatch for DBs and LBs to cover on those same short routes without requiring the picks trickery because of their size and height advantages. He is then a great option for a QB with minimal time to get rid of the ball...that is why a good TE is a great asset for a young QB to keep him upright and bail him out when he needs a quick outlet. JMO of a piece of the offensive puzzle that has been missing for a while from the Bills arsenal. I don't think anyone here disagrees that the o-line was horrible last year, but I think that is an issue that needs to be addressed by infusing o-line talent and better coaching to allow the Bills to run the ball effectively outside of Allen scrambles, use play action, and protect more consistently.

Do we NEED any? But I get your point....maybe soneone can start a thread for folks to predict what the AFC East records and competition will look like...dunno. Only problem is that it just seems to take one person whining about not understanding a new thread for it to get closed...so I don't feel like going there. It is the off season and we wore out talking about Kraft's ween and prostitutes...what's left?

Agree to a point. Most years are not very deep at "game changing" TEs. The past is not always a clear indicator of the future when it comes to drafts. Last year teams gobbled up QBs in the 1st, does that mean they should go all in this year? I think "results may vary". This year is different, and I will never understand the total acceptance of meh receivers taken rd 1, when there is clearly more mismatches for defenses trying to cover an athletic TE with hands. TEs keep the chains moving and successful offenses usually have a good TE on their roster. Rookie QBs benefit substantially having a solid if not elite TE. Taking one out of a solid program like Iowa is no more a risk than any other draft receiving option IMO. With all that being said I would like to see the Bills trade down and pick up an extra pick and still get someone like Hockenson. A great TE could grow to be a productive tandem with Allen and maybe help him by being that check down option when he gets that competitive urge to run through defenders.

I did note Allen audible out of one play last year where he faked the handoff and reversed field on a naked bootleg....right into a defender and lost a few on the play. Not sure what he thought he saw, but it did crack me up. I am also sure he did a few that were more successful. He definitely had more confidence and poise as the season progressed. Almost as if he was starting to grasp the playbook and read defenses better.

LT - Dion Dawkins. This regime is about 2nd chances. LG - Wyatt Teller - they draft Michael Deiter Wisconsin to compete. Played every position across the line for solid Badger program. C - Mitch Morse fits the mold although Paradis would be awesome too. Spencer Long competes and adds depth. RG - Spencer Long or Wyatt Teller RT - Kaleb McGary - will be there when we pick, can operate out of a pro set, is strong yet can move well enough to reach block at times and seal the edge. Tenacious and will keep driving to the whistle. ****There are other draft options at RT that are just as good and would upgrade what we have today. It is a deep position this year.

That was my question...a short private Lier Jet ride and he is in a country where they don't care how he gets his jollies. Perhaps it was simple hubris. Maybe once you have armies of lawyers and tons of money you just start to believe your above getting nailed for same things the common folk get arrested for doing.

Truth. And I for one, will raise a glass to Mr. Kraft (and his willie) for lighting a candle in the darkest hours of my off season. Oh to be a fly on the wall for that NFL owners emergency conference call with Goodell.

Some folks don't think that much about what a crappy situation the kids are left in...that goes for the women who hook up with these dudes too. JMO, but I have kids and could not imagine leaving them or having someone else raise them, though I have had some friends go through some ugly divorces where they have had to fight to get some access to their kids.

No Happy Endings for Kraft! This so made my day, heck I'll be grinning all weekend.

This probably is not the draft to find your future LT, and I cannot see grabbing a RT within the first 25 picks. I would predict that if the Bills stay at 9 they go BPA DL and they give Dawkins a chance at redemption to clean up his game and lock down that LT spot. That being said, there are solid G and/or RT prospects in this draft that should be available thru the 2nd and 3rd rounds...there are also several solid FA o-linemen the Bills can sign too....they have options and do not need to reach to fill their o-line needs.

That is why game tape trumps highlight reel all day, every day. Does it really help your team if a receiver makes one circus catch that makes his highlight reel for every 3 easy passes he drops that doesn't?

Don't know if it is a this or that kind of thing. I think the better offenses in the league have competent TEs. We don't. We have Croom who fits more the KB big WR role than traditional TE. Picking a TE in the draft is no more a crapshoot IMO than any other drafted position if you count how many receivers that don't pan out. The Bills have grabbed some later round prospects and UFAs TEs that have been meh. The top cupboard is usually pretty bare of great TE talent because those with the elite size and athleticism often end up as basketball recruits. The skills translate well. TEs do take a beating, and may not put up the huge yards on average, but the yards gained are usually those contested 4-7 yard completions needed to move the chains and keep drives alive, or dump offs to keep your QB from taking hits. I am not sure how gimpy Ebron was this past year, either way he was very productive in the red zone and earned his pro-bowl invite. If an elite talent is there at TE I take that prospect over an average receiver prospect. According to most scouting reports, this year there are a few of these more elite TE prospects. It is a deep position this year...that is not usually the case. On the other hand, the way the receiving prospects are bunched up (talent-wise) this year, I am ok with taking one later in the draft...he just has to have sure hands. Can't wait for the draft to see how things pan out.

I catch the Iowa games too, and I like your Witten analogy. I would not say that being comparable to Gronk is beyond his reach though as I do not think Hockenson has filled out or hit his ceiling yet...and if he stays healthy I have no idea where that may be. His combine measurables will be interesting. Either way if he stays healthy in the right system the kid could be a very dependable TE like Witten. Only time will tell and I like a few TE prospects in this draft.

He has my 10 year old daughter beat by 60lbs....but for an NFL player... That, and the fact he will struggle against the jam, goes down if sneezed on, has concentration lapses...aka drops the ball, and disappeared in big games against better competition. Left me underwhelmed...speed and college production in other games aside. Too bad about the injury, but knowing this should help the Bills FO make better choices if they are going to invest in any receivers this draft.

I agree with MrEpSYTown that the Patriots target linemen from schools who teach NFL fundamentals. They have also keep bringing Dante Scarnecchia out of quasi-retirement to coach their o-line back up... the guy knows what he is doing and gets the most from their o-line players.

Agree that scheme to talent is a very important factor, probably more so now than ever, but I think using examples of players prior to Free Agency, and several generations before the current CBA agreements and before the spread offenses in college became vogue, does not address the challenges the articles lay out that coaches have today getting college prospects NFL-ready. Having players from the NCAA ranks that cannot operate out of a 3-point stance, who no longer learn NFL level blocking techniques, means a longer time needed to coach those skills up, but the CBA allows less, Free Agency takes the units that learn how to work together in the same scheme with the same language and breaks them up. Successful teams need to have schemes and teaching techniques to get players up to speed faster, and IMO teams need to stress keeping these units together longer, and front offices and coaching staffs need to stress more effective o-line player transition planning & replacement strategy. Interesting read, and adds some caution to expectations of o-line players taken high in the draft, or thinking free agents will provide instant success as there are plenty of examples where they did not. There is more to filling the gaps than grab another prospect to plug in.

That is the logical, sane, and well thought-out way rookies should be evaluated, but this is the NFL and there is a regime change so all "Cards" are on the table - lame joke I know. I think they would have more success building around and better supporting Rosen, but there are more than a few teams that prefer investing in more mobile QB's that can help them win NOW and disguise all the warts they have with protections, receivers getting open, etc... Longer term I think the better defenses in the NFL figure out how to bottle up those QBs and they struggle throwing from the pocket. I think Murray will be very susceptible to that kind of defensive approach considering his height and size, but you never know.

Although the topic was quickly locked out... I found Chief fans arguing about Mahomes' ball placement when KB was dropping passes from him. Seems that when Mahomes gets passes near their "real" receivers they are normally caught. I found it enlightening that a QB who was considered very successful was having the same issues (drops) that Allen was having trying to throw to one of the same receivers Allen was trying to throw to during the season. Also interesting the way fans were dissecting those Mahomes throws the way we do Allen's. I think the glass is half-full with Allen and if we can get more options for him who can catch - the Bills will be fine.

Don't honestly think I will be around THAT long. I remember reading an article where they were trying to find a professional football QB who had worse stats than Peterman, they were going back to the leather helmet days. His performance was the stuff of legends.

He did get KB lit up on one high throw earlier in the year, but in hindsight I am not all that broken up over it.

As an EJ apologist I get it - there were times he flashed the mechanics and types of throws I wanted to see from our QBs, but had to come back down to Earth. For me, it was when I heard from a reliable source that the Bills players themselves were fed up that EJ just could not grasp an NFL playbook and coaches had to "dumb" everything down to half the field.

"The Pill" (Pillsbury Doughboy) knew how to read defenses and where to go with the ball, but oh man there was nothing on those passes - took forever to get there. When he tried to put more on those passes, they were so bad I remember they would slow-mo replay them. If they fell incomplete or got picked off or nearly picked off they would do a replay that would show the ball flopping around in the air. Pretty cringe-worthy stuff, but as the adage goes, those who can't "do" - teach. Coaching the position is where AVP has found his success. R J definitely was the better of the two. If he had a bit more pocket presence and less of a wind-up to his throws he may have been able to find more success. We definitely have fielded worse QBs than Rob or Doug - hence a bit of the controversy in the locker room when they were competing to get the starts.

Agree with most of this. I do think "the pocket" was the least safe place for Josh last year, but also that he really needed to learn how to slide or step out-of-bounds. At least with some space he could use his speed and ellusiveness to keep from getting plowed over. That does not guarantee that some tool like Alonso won't still try to take your head off with a flying forearm/elbow. Good thing the kid had his head on a swivel that play. Defensive players hate running QBs and the cheap shots will keep coming...if running and making linebackers and safeties look silly is going to stay a part of Josh's game he has to remain aware that sliding or going out of bounds is no guarantee he won't get hit.