Beck Water

He also went from a 2 year, $4.4M guaranteed contract with the equivalent of a year's salary fully guaranteed, to a 1 year, vet minimum contract with the Colts. Which reflects his career downgrade. That's what happens when a guy gets an opportunity with a lot of playing time and doesn't make good.

Have you watched the freakin' Bengals last couple games? Those damned cats are playing like their jocks are on fire and hitting will put it out. Browning is playing like Burrows Jr. I'd like to say it's 3 junk teams they beat, but they beat the Jags (who beat us), the Colts (who have won 5 of their last 6) and the Vikes (sad trombone) Anyway, I'd like to think KC will thump them, but I'm not at all sure the Steelers have it in them to thump anyone right now.

Yeah, it was called the Isaiah McKenzie show but Ty Dunne was 100% running it and leading the convo

I don't think Sherfield was intended as a McKenzie replacement. He replaced Kumerow. Almost as good ST player who is a better WR than Kumerow. He's not a vet minimum contract, but not much more. Deonte Harty, yeah, they signed him thinking they were getting a fast McKenzie-quality gadget guy who can actually track the ball and go deep. They paid him significantly more than McKenzie was due thinking he was an upgrade. So far....he's not as productive, but Harty has been seeing the field a lot less than McKenzie did last year, mostly due to Kincaid and Shakir. McKenzie like 16th in the league for PR yardage (23 returns) He did muff one in the last game he played tho Harty 18th so not too far behind, and actually higher Y/R than McK (9.9 Y/R vs 8.9) Can't really make the argument Harty is "less productive" as a ST guy especially as the Bills no longer trusted McK in the PR role. Sherfield is getting more than vet minimum, but not a lot more. It was time to move on from McKenzie.

FWIW: I thought I remembered something so I looked it up. Back In Da Day when he was in college playing for Alabama, Tony Brown was sent home from the Cotton Bowl for starting a fight during practice with a DL (maybe, when you're 6'0" 200 don't start fights with 6'6" 320 lb guys?) https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2603791-tony-brown-reportedly-sent-home-from-cotton-bowl-for-violation-of-team-rules

Oh, Stuff. McKenzie had performance issues on the field. They gave him the chance to earn a role as a primary slot, and he didn't make the grade. They thought they had the PR/KR duties covered by Hines, and they thought Harty was an upgrade as the #4/gadget guy.

I came here to say this. Don't like to see Leonard Floyd on the list though

If it was a league test yes, league first If they were caught using PEDs in or around the facility or team road trips ?? I don't know Depends on the circumstances, I would think? How severe it was? Enemkpali got 4 games for breaking Geno Smith's jaw in a locker room fight, but I think that came from the league and not the team Usually a team would just cut a player in their circs (like the Jets immediately cut Enemkpali). They're both bottom of the roster, 1 year league-minimum contract guys with no dead money to speak of thus no cap implications to sending the Turk. I wonder if the Colts figure cutting them would allow a team the Colts are about to play, to pick them up and harvest useful inside info? You don't typically suspend guys multiple games for running their mouths.

Figures a Miami fan would say that, seeing as how he hung up 8 receptions for 112 yds and an 84 yd PR for a TD one year and 9 receptions for 100 yds in another against your favored team.

Things change sometimes, but at least when he was here McKenzie was pretty up-front that he didn't drink and didn't do illicit drugs. And when you're 5'7", 180 lbs (maybe - dripping wet with cleats on), getting into a bar fight seems like a Bad Move. At least Tony Brown is 6'0 and 200.

Whoaoa! I noticed that McKenzie had been a healthy scratch last week vs. Pittsburgh, and wondered if it was a benching because he fumbled against the Bengals With the Bills, McKenzie presented himself as a 'clean' guy with a HUUUUUGE mouth - doesn't drink, no drugs, "if it happens after midnight I don't know 'cuz I'm not there", talks endless trash to everyone all day every day, so intent to get back to the Bills in time for a Monday meeting after a bye that after his flight was cancelled, he flew into Pittsburgh and got a random fan to drive him from Pittsburgh to Buffalo at 1 am. PEDs maybe? I know pro athletes 'on the fringe' can be desperate for any edge that will help them "get right" and keep them on the field.

No rational reason. Just think it would be cool. I'd like chickens, too. They could roost on the pony. I'd put all their poop on my 'maters. Ditto

To really cut down on the helmet-to-helmet, the NFL has taken the attitude "we don't care if it's intentional, we don't care if it's late, you hit helmet to helmet it's a penalty. Wanna avoid a penalty? Figure it out."

He's not going to be "somewhat close to his old self" but at this point we're hoping for "better than Tim Settle or Poona Ford"

He played for the Ravens last season under Mike McDonald, so he's familiar with the Ravens scheme. He signed a 1 year, $6M contract with Carolina so it's possible the Ravens would have liked him back if he came cheaper. I'm guessing he asked for his release because he had an inkling (*nudge nudge wink wink*) that the Ravens might take him back Not sure he's a great scheme fit for KC or 49ers? He's a 3-4 LOLB and probably maps into a 4-3 LDE. His pro-bowl years were with Bob Sutton as a LOLB in KC, 8-10 yrs ago. He had 9.5 sacks and 17 QB Hits for the Poe-Birds last year. Leonard Floyd up to 10.5 and 19 with 3 games left to go

I don't think that MLFootball guy's file proves quite what he things it does. Some of those are quite legit - the lead one features the Pats defender taking 3 steps after the ball is thrown and hitting his helmet into Josh's face mask. Flop or no flop, that's a penalty - Josh just sold it so it was harder to miss.

LOL yeah that had the ring of sincerity "And they've got that STUPID HORN, and they don't play it when you come to the LOS, they play it while you're in the HUDDLE trying to CALL A PLAY!" He did kind of imply that the 'Boys looked like a HS team out there, so I enjoyed that.

Did we have this For the record, Shady called Allen becoming a "big star in the league" after his rookie year.

And I'd like a vacation to the Dominican Republic, and a Pony. It's not a question of preference, it's a question of the normal recovery timeline for the injury. McDermott said that it was a chance to get DaQuan back late in the season, but not Milano from what he's been told about it. That fits what Bangedup Bills said about the timeline of a pec tear requiring surgery (what Jones had) vs. a tibial plateau fracture (if that's what Milano had)

Yeah, I think they might activate him and let him start practicing for the next 2 weeks. Guys always think they'll be ready to go immediately and need the training staff to pull the reins in.

Great writeup as usual, Virgil. I just hope the Bills can and do "handle bizness". Couple of points: This reminds me of a game sequence the Bills used in, hmmmmm, 2020. Then as now, Josh was recovering from a sprained shoulder (L shoulder but Hasselbeck says that impacts the throwing motion). McDermott had been all P-A mutter mutter need a run game mutter mutter in press conferences. The Bills went into NE, and Daboll had them pound the rock 38 times for 190 yds - of which Josh had only 23. 18 passing attempts for 154 yds. It wasn't the same dominant effort that Brady sent out there with Cook, but it was "Oh, where did THAT come from?" and it clearly took Belicheck by surprise; the Pats kept defending it as though they expected the "Real Bills" who want to throw it all over to walk onto the field for the next set of downs. The follow-on was, next week the Bills went into Seattle and flip-flopped the attempts - 39 pass attempts to 19 rushing attempts, about half of which were Josh Allen scrambles IIRC. It was the "Josh Allen Laser Light Show", 415 passing yards, 3 passing TDs. Postgame, Pete Carroll said he "didn't expect them to pass so much" and "we had a nice little plan to stop their run". Everyone at the time was "cool, we can run the ball, let's run more. And we did lay down a couple strong run games later in the season but it never did seem to become integrated into the offense. Anyway, I think the Cowboys never did get away from "we expect Josh to be Josh and come out throwing on the next drive" defensive mindset, just as Belicheck didn't and just as Pete Carroll didn't stop expecting the Bills to run the following week. And if we can sustain some of that run threat, that's fundamentally McDermott's point about a balanced offense - it's damned hard to defend. This is where I've been told about OL and DL play, "it's mental. It starts in your mind, with an attitude". Of course that pre-supposes you start with elite athletes, but when the Bills were getting their asses whupped on both sides of the line by the Bengals, it's not that they aren't capable of laying down a can of whupass. It's intensity. It's mental. Let's hope we keep bringing it. GO BILLS!

After the first pick he looked as though his truck broke down and his dog died

@Rigotz is a bit mistaken according to head of football operations in that the specific fines were for "impermissable use of the helmet" and for hitting a defenseless receiver. So I think it's the repeated instances of what they see as the same behavior. But sure, we should be concerned if Oliver's fines are for repeated instances of the same thing vs. flexing in a guy's face or a legal hit that's late or something.

Yes on the repeat offender. So 4 previous fines for similar. Interestingly, Tom Brady has a different perspective: https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2023/12/18/pittsburgh-steelers-tom-brady-damontae-kazee-suspension-blame-gardner-minshew-nfl/ I'm a little puzzled by Brady's take, anyone? This is perhaps a better view on it. I wince watching Pittman's body bend backward. OTOH, the QB is leading the WR, maybe a bit much. Should the WR not "lay out" for the ball? Should the QB not lead the WR when a defender is in the position to run up and make the tackle? Don't Shoot the Messenger, Friends. I will say this: Rapp needs to clean up his ***** act, or we're going to be reading about his fines soon and his suspension not long after. Right, that was my take. The way he flew over a sliding Dak, striking his head on the way and then held out both arms like "look, I'm an innocent man".