Einstein's Dog

Adding a dynamic RB for the offense for four years is a good thing IMO too. After a rocky start they are developing him into a valuable asset for years to come. It will be fun to watch. The Bills will still need another RB IMO, but that doesn't mean Cook isn't worth it.

I agree with you. J Cook is taking over the Lightning role. And we can now see he has it in him. We keep Hines (maybe restructure) as backup lightning role to Cook and for special teams. The Bills will need a Thunder type - reliable 2-3 tough yards and excellent pass protecter. Seems suitable to be a veteran FA acquisition at a good price point. Maybe even Singletary although he isn't really the tough 2-3 yard guy.

On a related note, what was the reasoning for the placement at the 11 yd line for the punt that had wind aided carry down to the 4? Looked like Chicago was pinned back and then after a slight break saw the ball was placed at the 11. They ran a replay and my friend and I couldn't figure it out (we were at a bar and didn't have the audio). What did they say about that?

The Bills will be one of the Super Bowl contenders next year. They have the QB, management, coaching staff and enough players already. The hope is to keep as many of these elements here as long as possible and the good times will keep rolling! For next year, for the players, I hope Beane can add some offense, OL and WR through the draft. Some difficult D decisions are going to be made from the Edmunds/Oliver/Poyer/Hyde group. I hope they can keep this DL together, it is stellar and doesn't seem too expensive.

The problem with establishing the run early is it takes us away from passing early - the Bills strength. And if the Bills hit on the early mid-level passing the game has the potential of being a blowout win for the Bills. The Bills have the advantage vs almost all other teams on the 20 yard passing game. To the OP, every week for every OC can be frustrating if you are doing a post-game hindsight analysis versus perfection. You point out the Saffold penalty but how quickly you forget when Knox went over center against the Jets and how that turned out. You see the possibilities for improvement for Dorsey but what about McDaniel and his passing on third and one. Or Hoodie and his last play call against the Raiders. People here have revisionist history in their praise for Daboll, he had posts like this after every game too.

These are unprecedented times. Indictments against Beane for the 10-3 number one seed. Talks of firing Dorsey with the number 2 offense. And now the flaming of bringing back two WRs who just recently had 1000 yard seasons.

And can the indictment and hanging of Beane wait until after the playoffs? Or is the two for one sale for those who want to fire Dorsey too much to pass up.

But that's what makes it not a mistake. It certainly appears to have centered on a disagreement over salary. And it's safe to say they got both Brown and Beas back at significantly less than the $6M-$8M that it was originally going to take to retain either of them. Add to that they get them back mid-season, healthy, and without the wear and tear of 13 games that erodes the older players. The original poster who was trying to frame this as some type of Beane mistake is on a Beane haterade crusade.

You conveniently left out the economics of the situation. A huge factor in moving on from both Brown and Beas was the money. Another reason for excitement is that in the older players, they are more affected by the compound affects of the beatings they take. Older players as a rule recover slower. These are fresh veterans we are getting back for the stretch run.

If we had Beas all season he would be a lot more banged up than he is now, and he would never fully recover in time for the playoffs. Now we just need a 4 game regular season win streak, get the bye and win 3 more.

A point not talked about in the Beane bashing above was the cost factor of both Smoke and Beas when they left. $6M-$8M apiece. Now we get healthy, unbroken, veteran players at a huge discount. And they're players with Bills history, makes it less of a buy a title situation.

I'm wondering if it will affect Dorsey's play calling. For instance on 3rd and 2/3/4 will he call up the 4 yard dart to Beas instead of the looping swing pass to Cook/Hines or instead of the crosser to McKenzie. Seemed like they wanted to add the swing pass YAC RB play badly this year and so far it hasn't worked as well as hoped. The speed/touch of the pass seems a little off as well as any kind of blocking. I hope they tone that down for a bit and put back in the dart/laser that Josh excels at.

I think Dorsey gets a bad rap here, especially in comparison to DaBoll who for some reason is now revered around here. Dorsey has the same numbers with a better record (10-3) yet has had less to work with - Dorsey doesn't have a Beas or Sanders. What I think has hindered the progression of the offense this season is the lack of the swing and screen pass. I believe this was the targeted year over year improvement. They tried early to get the WA guy McKissic (?). And after that went blew up, drafted Cook and then traded for Hines. The plan seemed to be increased YAC through swing passes and screens - and it has not worked yet.

You're not going to be able to stop the "Fire Dorsey" crowd with facts. Although it was another comfortable win, pinball numbers were not obtained.

It's not that I don't want Cook to touch the ball, I just want competition. I haven't given up on Cook but the developmental time is over, the leash needs to tighten. If Hines is outplaying Cook, so be it. The cutting routes short, or missing blocks, or not handling pass protection needs to stop. Cook had/has the inside track having been here all year. But Hines has been showing himself well on special teams- making wise decisions and steady hands.

I don't necessarily view these veterans as difference makers, just possibly reliable options. I think Cook and McKenzie need to be on a shorter leash now. The games are getting more meaningful and easy drops or missed assignments need to be eliminated. Cook, Davis, and McKenzie need to step up. If not I am hoping Smoke, Hines, and Crowder can be brought along for the end of season/playoff stretch.

There are some other possibilities/answers though: Top of the list are Smoke being re-integrated and more Hines. Hines is looking better every day. Secondarily, is the tantalizing possibility of bringing in OBJ for the late playoff push (+2023 season) The third low probability pieces are of a Beas and/or Gronk addition. The long season may take this type of load management thought process.

Yes, right now, the shuttle pass is considered a legal forward pass, My point was to change its treatment to make it like a lateral. Don't worry we would still let your boy do those girlish little side arm things.

Uh no....it would be more like they don't allow forward laterals. I still remember the Houston playoff game and Watson did this weak looking underhanded stuff to an RB that didn't connect. The Bills recovered and they went back and said "incomplete pass". BS.

Since we're airing grievances, I'll put my change. Get rid of the stupid shovel pass. It degrades the game in a feminine way. Mahomes does this a lot.

Don't want to lose you SC. It may not be ideal. But lets remember the positives: Great addition for the playoffs Would add difficulty to opposing DCs game plans Strengthens the 2023 WR core immensely Adds flexibility to Beane maneuvering - the possibility of moving G Davis for a 2nd Helps change offensive philosophy to a max scoring shoot out style- fun to watch The possibility for all this at a reasonable Beaner price of say $8-10M. I'm in. And don't forget the circus dies dramatically after he signs- just like it did in LA.

Kind of the opposite though. OBJ said he would go 6 to 6 practicing and being part of the team but wouldn't go into a game until playoffs. Then he would be completely healthy when the games matter more. It's load management. The Defense is getting crushed with injuries, but the offense might go a different route. A healthy and rested Smoke and OBJ down the home stretch.

No, it's meaningless. Gabe being invited is what the team should do, and Gabe accepting is what Gabe should do. Having a connection with OBJ is what he should do regardless of what happens in the future. There is a business aspect to this and most realize it. But I don't think Gabes being there gives any indication of what they will do in the off-season. If they were able to get OBJ (for the remainder + 2023)and he did well for the 2-3 games he was active this season, the possibility of seeing if someone gave a 2nd for Gabe would be very enticing. Then for 2023 you would have Diggs, OBJ, and 1st round apprentice as the outside WR core. Nice. I like Gabe. But Beane does have to consider moves each year. And for Gabe if he did get traded, that generally means he's getting paid- and that softens the blow considerably.

And while OBJ is coming off as a diva, it does seem like he wants to play this year. And he wants to do it with a contender. Looks like OBJ might be willing to package a bargainish 2023 along with the remainder of the 2022 season. And as you mentioned above having OBJ on board would give Beane flexibility with regards to offers with G Davis. This 2023 add-on may have been the move to outmaneuver Jerry Jones!! With Von gone the team philosophy may need to get back to all out O, for large portions of the game. Blow teams out. OBJ could help in that regard. And other teams would have very little tape giving DC's nightmares.

Okay, I get it. My point on the special teams was that alone is pretty close to justifying the 6th round pick. So, it's not a terrible deal already with the potential to get better. If it doesn't get better I don't think Hines will be around next year though because he is scheduled to get over $4M. The deal was a little weird to begin with because Hines is kind of redundant to Cook. I guess they couldn't get a banger which is what I thought they could use. I guess that's why my expectations were considerably lower. Hines to me was/is a backup insurance piece to Cook. I am now on the OBJ bandwagon. IMO that could be adding a huge piece for 2023. And a teaser possibility of playoff reinforcement.