Ethan in Cleveland

Correct but what us the upside? Nothing. So it is all risk even low with no reward. Equals bad decision.

Not worried about leadership on this team. I am worried how they handle pressure. Last year was intense but this year will be even greater. Will be interesting to see how they handle adversity. Last year despite not looking like a great team they still won 13 games. This year they may play better and look better but win only 10 or 11 games. Will the added losses cause unrest or just make them more ready for playoff football???

Hope so. Still just preseason but its encouraging he has earned the job day 1

Win a playoff game on the road??? He beat Green Bay on the road in the playoffs.

Why do you say that? Bates is a quality guard. Honestly so is Edwards. None of them are probowl level thus the drop off is not that bad. No one is saying it is a good thing but it is not a season altering injury. This of course assumes Torrence is ready to start and play well as a rookie. If he is shaky that will really hurt. This injury could give Boettger or even Alec Anderson a shot to make the final 53. They may choose to carry an extra OL for the first couple of weeks. Which in turn means they may go with one less CB

As with all things it depends. If you are just talking play on the field then no it doesn’t matter much. If either are capable solid #2 CBs(assuming White is back to form) then the defense will be fine. However if you are talking about cap management, a #1 draft pick that is sitting on the sidelines is a massive waste of cap dollars that could have been allocated elsewhere.

No. The cap hit is anywhere between 940,000 to $3.5M depending on when the 2023 roster bonus was due to be paid. They don’t have that kind of money to waste on another backup QB. Add a $350 dead cap hit to release Kyle Allen. All that adds up to no cap room left for the season. Hard no.

No we weren’t. The bad inspired play only made our arguement better. The starters got nothing out of that game. Another poor decision by McDermott. This is an old team with many coming off injury. They need less reps not more. I wouldn’t dress the entire starting 22 guys.

Purdy won't last 5 games as a starter this year. He got lucky last year. Now the NFL has tape on him. They will be calling for Lance before November.

Why wouldn't the Bills get the close calls? Bills have as many if not more star players if you buy the star player gets the calls argument. Why would they favor the Jets? Because Rich Eisen is a Jets fan? Seriously please expound on why you think the refs will favor the Jets.

That's different than saying the refs will favor the Jets because it is a nationally televised game in NYC with Aaron Rodgers. One is basic football and the other is conspiracy nonsense.

Agree. Smith is better than Simpson in terms of Bills all time players. Simpson was an amazing combination of strength and speed just as Smith was. But Smith's longevity and the dominance for his position is unmatched. That said, Simpson 2003 yards in 14 games is still the best single season by a Bill.

Agree with above but some of the most mobile QBs are also some of the most frequently sacked ..Vick and Wilson come to mind.

Well as you probably know I would not have paid Oliver either but that is a different issue. And yes what you describe is exactly what you do with running backs. That's why they hate the current system. They are easy to replace and there is little upside to signing them to a big second contract. Perhaps the exception is McCaffrey but the jury is still out if he can stay healthy.

You lose all credibility when you bring officiating conspiracy into your arguments. Stick with rationale arguments. As for pressure, you don't think Saleh is under pressure too? The media and GM have set him up for a no win scenario. If they win its because the GM got Rodgers, if they don't its because the HC couldn't get it done. As for the trenches, you gloss over our pretty good DL even without Von going up against their suspect OL and an aging less mobile Rodgers. That's a good matchup for the Bills. Also the strength of the Jets DL is up the middle which is where the best of the Bills OL SHOULD be. I will grant you there are lots of questions still to be answered about the Bills OL, but on paper the middle of the OL should be stout. I would not be surprised one bit if Bills lost and in my other post, I said I'm nervous about this game. I have little faith in McDermott to match the emotional level you aptly describe above. But in the end we must place our trust in Allen to overcome McDermott more often than not.

To be fair to those of us that are open to change, how many coaches and GMs don't get fired at some point for not winning? Tomlin, Noll, Belichick, Madden, Landry, and Walsh all wrote their own ticket because they won a Championship. Vermeil, Belichick, Reid and Dungy were fired for not getting it done in their first stops, and the latter two had successors go on to win a Championship. We find joy but we want a Championship. Don't know how old you are but I was born after the AFL Championships and have lived through the failures of Ferguson's ankle in 1980, getting oucoached in SuperBowl XXV, and then losing three more SuperBowls where we were physically outmatched. We now have the best QB in franchise history and the clock is ticking on this GM and HC. The media has already put a target on our organization and if they fail again its just a fact their jobs may be on the line. This is not just a Bills fan issue either. Any HC and GM with a star QB that can't get it done is under constant pressure.

Neither would I when you consider the contracts. Skill wise obviously it would be a massive upgrade. But Taylor is a one or two year high price rental headache, while they have Cook at a much cheaper cost for the same time.

My knee jerk answer was going to be no for the reasons outlined by others. But I think TJ Watt has a chance. Watt has 77.5 sacks in 6 years and up until last season he only missed 3 games in 5 years. He would need several great seasons in the next 5 years and then hang around into late 30s to have a shot. Also they added a 17th game which helps pad the stats.

You don’t. You teach and preach fundamentals. These are grown men not 12 year olds. Does Josh get benched when he throws an interception ? The only true thing a coach can do is reduce playing time which is almost always the wrong move.

Excellent post. Agree 100%

Coach speak BS. Covid year proved the preseason is meaningless and has been for a decade or two. Players are in shape year round. OTA and training camp is all you need. Having an expanded PS helps too. If you make a mistake on a roster bottom feeder there are plenty more to choose from.

He's always been a homer. And he is correct. Bills starters should not have been in this game. Zero upside. Only injury risk. I'd like to blame McDermott but almost all the coaches make the same bad decision.

We will see. All he needs to do is break one decent long run. Bills OL may be better at run blocking than pass blocking especially the right side. Look for more heavy sets and wear out that Jets DL.

Thanks. I missed the immediate press conference I guess. If the original answer by Beane is accurate then the pick and thought process is more messed up than I thought. The only reason to draft a Milano backup is if you plan on moving on from him next off season as a cap casualty. Its really sad we are talking about two years worth of wasted 3rd round picks.

No they didn't. They said he could play both. And then a few days later it was he was only to backup Milano. Then a few days later they retracted that as well when the appropriate ridicule of using a 3rd round draft pick to back up a guy that never leaves the field started pouring in. Since then it has been he will start as an OLB.