FireChans

Good food for thought. Here’s the challenge though. If you are basing your analysis off being paid, rookie contracts by definition are going to be excluded. So the entire GB recieving group is of course eliminated from this analysis. Devonta Smith isn’t included because his extension hasn’t come in yet. Devonta Smith is a great WR. His cap hit this season is only $7M because he’s still playing on a rookie deal. The argument that the running teams make the playoffs more is no different than folks arguing a decade ago that the teams with the highest passing yards sometimes missed the playoffs, ergo, we don’t need a QB. It’s faulty analysis. I would bet heavily that the teams that the teams that threw the least in 2024 also had near tops in the league time spent with a lead. The teams that passed the most, like the Bengals, were forced to. That is not necessarily the reason they were bad. Correlation =\= causation. Let’s play your analysis back a different way. 5 of the top 12 running backs by rushing yards did not make the postseason. Does this mean that running the ball well is ALSO not really strongly correlated with success? Or, more likely, does that mean that it’s quite a bit more complicated than “x out of the top y didn’t make the postseason?” 5 out of the 10 top QB’s by AAV didn’t make the postseason in 2024. Does this mean that paying QB’s is a mistake and doesn’t help you win? Of course not. The argument I would make about WR’s is that while they are getting paid big bucks now, more and more talented athletes will play WR and enter the draft, and with an artificial ceiling on spending, they will dilute the market. Their value won’t continue to explode because of market forces. Make no mistake though. WRs are very important. Justin Jefferson is a big reason why Sam Darnold revived his career. Stefon Diggs was a big reason that Josh exploded on the scene as a superstar. They will continue to be important. The “middle class” of WR’s like Shakir will be overpaid, but the truly elite guys are going to be worth every penny.

Yup. i point to Ryan Grigson as a comparison. Landed the generational QB. Wonderful. Didn’t do enough to help that QB. Less than wonderful. Now I don’t think that Beane is as much of a disaster that Grigson was. But eventually that “found the QB” shine wears off. And unless the Bills see some more success, history won’t be as charitable.

Your point is well taken but how much worse was that OL compared to 2022? Saffold at LG, Bates at RG etc. 2014 vs 2015 is a tough debate. I think 2015 offense was significantly better. Richie was a huge addition to an IOL that really sucked. Weapons were better too. Problem is that the 2015 defense fell off a cliff. Mario went from All-Pro to mutineer and washed before our eyes and he was our elite edge. For me, I’d rather have the elite DL and bank on Josh making a little more magic on O, than Josh with a better offensive supporting cast but a defense that didn’t have difference makers. We’ve seen that already ha

Was it? Kyle Orton managed to do okay. Something tells me Josh would be fine, especially with a defensive line that could pick him up if there was an off day.

If it was Josh’s third-fifth season, they wouldn’t have cap problems. Just like we didn’t.

Um 2014 Sammy Watkins might’ve put up 1700 yards with Josh throwing him the ball. The OL wasn’t great but it wasn’t much worse than the 2022 Bills OL. If there were only 2 good DB’s and 2 JAGs on that team, how many good DB’s and JAGs do we have on ours? are we arguing Damar Hamlin is better than a JAG (spoilers, he’s actually worse lol) But you’re right. The strength of that team was a DL that could be dominant on their best day and make HoF QBs look silly. When have we ever seen teams like that win a SB, especially with competent QB play. Lmao

2014 team probably goes to the SB with Allen that year.

WR’s are more expensive. Draft WR’s because they are harder to pay. Don’t pay RB’s because they are easy to find. I’m just more bothered that we have spent 2 2nds, a 3rd and a 4th on RB’s in like 4 years. It’s gross.

I’m at the point where I’m debating if the Bills should pay Cook just so it gets them to stop drafting RBs so high every season.

I can promise this mock draft thread is more of a contribution to the board than every one of your posts combined.

If we draft any RB high I’m going to scream.

Eugene Parker right? he died and the Bills started getting FAs again.

What

By all means, if you wanna double down on the 29 year old staying healthy all of next year, that’s your prerogative.

I mean, we banked on Curtis Samuel last year and we had to trade a day 2 pick to rent a WR for half the year. Samuel of course had like 200 yards. So your stance of “let’s bank on him again, idiots!” is pretty ironic.

Huh. we want to re-sign Cooper to $15M AAV?

Meh, Monos can make fair (and obvious) points and still be an axe to grind loser desperately hanging onto relevancy. It’s kind of a common theme of Ty Dunne’s network.

I very much like Tre. He was just as bad as Elam this season. He’s toast. Sucks. But it’s over.

From a development standpoint, sure maybe McD and BB were helpful. the distinction is irrelevant now because Josh is that dude NOW. Just like Brady was that dude at 30. They don’t need the developing. They are superstars.

Corollary to that is that even BB was basically mediocre to bad in NE with the best culture in the NFL without his QB. It’s 90% Josh. Just like it was 90% Brady.

McDermott traded or moved off a bunch of them in the 2017 season. It was a big thing. the point was that an entire draft class being on the team/stashed on the PS/stashed on IR the same year they were drafted is no feather in the cap of any GM. It’s usually how it goes lol. I’m keeping him. We will have folks who will say it was just injuries and bad luck that held them back. Next question

I would say he probably gets 3 cracks at it at least. I mean, McD is going on 7 lol

This was a big reason why folks thought the Spencer Brown extension was early. Beane needed a W on the roster. I’m okay with not rushing to get Benford extended or not. Okay with Bernard. agree moving on from Cook/Shakir makes the most sense.

No. Nabers is legit. Slayton and Wandale are pretty good. I think their DL is loads better. I think I would swap our entire DL for theirs. Their OL is kinda stinky but Josh makes bad OL look good.

Drought brain is incurable my man. These folks think McD is all that stands between us and 20 more years of darkness. They probably were afraid to trade Tyrod and draft Josh. “what if it sets us back from scoring 3 points in the WC round?” they cried.