Ethan in Cleveland

Ask Matt Barkley how staying school worked out….

1. It's preseason and it doesn't matter 2. The starters should never have been in this game or any preseason game. Nothing anyone will say or post will change my mind. The coaches are wrong. They have to say these games mean something to justify the ticket price. There is no preseason in college. Yes many teams play lesser schools early in the year but it still counts. And many of the big time programs are playing high profile games week 1.

It's not the dollars its the players they've signed. Bills have invested plenty of money in the OL. Spain, Saffold, Dawkins extension, matching Bates offer sheet, and overpaying for Morse. The real screw up was not drafting young OL instead of Basham and the smurfs.

Bills have been an up and down team in terms of penalties under McDermott. As much as I dislike and don't beleive McD is the guy to win a championship, penalties are a player issue not a coaching issue. Usually they occur becuase the player is outmatched. Even presnap penalties are just carelessness by the player. Not sure what you can do. You going to bench Dawkins for a false start??

OMG this board is amazing. People are losing their minds over a game the starters should never have even played. Can we save the anxiety and negativity for real games??? I'm as big a McD and Beane skeptic as anyone but you need to judge them on real games not paper signings and fake preseason games.

No it doesn't. Good or bad play it is all meaningless

If they aren't trying they should not be playing

You are right to worry because our GM wastes 3rd round picks on smurf linebackers while neglecting the OT spots. If Brown is a bust you really have to start questioning every move Beane makes on the OL. He said all offseason all Brown needed was a healthy offseason. Bills only hope is for Brown and Dawkins to be average. Torrence should start and Bates should be your utility OL at C and OT.

Its preseason. Who cares?

Well that was a useless injury exposure risk. How that crap fest is supposed to help the team I will never know. Hopefully McD remembers this and doesn't expose the starters to any undue risk for ZERO upside.

Huh? Its been a recurring issue for decades. Mike Utley was paralyzed in a game. Kevin Everett was almost paralyzed on the field Its sadly part of the game.

At 41 he might be better than both Dawkins and Brown. If Brown can play at an adequate level we are set at RT for several years. This will likely be Dawkins last year as a Bill. He is in decline and will be a cap casualty this offseason. They will draft OT early next year.

Lol. Sorry in trying to catch a flight to Italy and posting too fast

If he was good you would be correct. But he is not. He is not a good blocking FB. He is not a good pass threat. And despite people saying he is the third TE, I can not recall a single play last year that he lined up as third TE. I admit I could be wrong about the third point. I actually like FBs like Sam Gash that are a legit threat in the pass game. Don't care about their run blocking. The college game never uses a FB and the NFL game is getting closer to that as well.

It's incredibly poor cap management. He is a vet minimum guy at best if you want him on the team. Last year they had Sweeney who was useless and didn't dress most of the year. This year if they keep Morris they will have three TEs that dress on game day. No room for a FB in that scenario. Much better to dress an extra OL, WR, or DB. A backup guard can play full back in the goal line situation. Kincaid can line up there which he can then be an actual threat in the pass game with or without motion. There was a time and a place for a great fullback. That time is gone and Gilliam is not great at anything.

He will be on the roster but he should absolutely not be on the roster. I would much rather carry three TE's or an extra OL than a FB. He is overpaid and a relic of times gone by.

Get rid of the fullback and keep an extra WR

Yes they serve no purpose for the starters. They are running vanilla plays against vanilla defenses. How does that help you prepare for the Jets??? Maybe it might help you choose guy 55 over guy 51 on the roster. But who cares about them. They are bottom of the roster players that are interchangeable with many PS level guys around the league. Yes in practice. Covid year proved they are useless It's not a surprise. Its the standard operating procedure. Doesn't make it the right decision just because its what most teams do.

I've been on record not a single starter should take a single snap in preseason. Zero reward. All risk. I wouldn't play any of them at all. Let the roster bottom feeders fight for their jobs. No they don't. Covid proved they did not.

The local media is also reporting Watson is terrible in practice. He has been throwing a ton of picks especially in the joint practices with the Eagles. Schwartz can make them a #1 defense. But Watson is absolute trash. He was awful in the six games last year. He is fully guaranteed. All he needs to to do is show up and look like he cares and he gets paid. He is going to get the entire Browns regime fired by mid-season. He has also blocked all the local media guys from his Twitter account. Maybe that is not uncommon. I really don't know because I don't follow Twitter, but it did seem incredibly thin skinned. Watson to Browns will surpass Walker to Vikings and Haynesworth to Washington as worst trade/contract in NFL history

In fairness, at least you had a Price jersey for when he came back to the Bills in 2006

My prediction is at some point in this season Milano and Williams will be the two starting linebackers switching between MLB and OLB. They are probably the two best athletes at the position. The Bernard pick was so bad and because Beane invested a 3rd round pick he was not going to sign a credible veteran to compete for the job.

Terrible news. He was a Buffalo icon

Creed was there for Beane to draft. Its not revisionist history either. We were all begging for Creed in real time when Bills were on the clock Nobody knows. I say if Torrence is even close to Bates he should start. Get experience. If he fails they can always turn back to Bates.

Stupidity and immaturity as well