Beck Water

A lot are. A lot are deriviatives of the plant compound, modified to be more efficiently absorbed, or metabolized more slowly, or just to produce them more efficiently than they can be produced from the native plant.

So if y'all haven't found it yet, check out this Cover1 piece on Kirksey. In addition to a lot of film that kind of speaks for itself, they bring up a couple points I hadn't thought of: 1) Kirksey playing coverages successfully in Lovie Smith's Tampa2 last season 2) Bills hired Joe Danna, last year's safety coach in Houston. Danna should really have the tea on what Kirksey could or couldn't do as of last year.

You happen to got a linky for that one? I didn't take it that way at all. McAfee was talking a bit about the NE offense and the Colts offense with Manning, where you don't talk you just look at the defense and everybody knows how their role in the called play changes with what they see. Daboll has talked about this in the past - their offense is built on Josh and the receivers reading the defense the same way and reacting the same way. That's what Josh means when he talks about "good body language" - the receiver is using body language cues to communicate his intentions about how he's going to run his route to Josh (while simultaneously trying to be deceptive in his body language to the DBs) What I took Josh as expressing was that Kincaid has been doing this successfully in practice and in preseason, but that the regular season moves faster and defenses become harder to read, so he expects Kincaid to make mistakes early in the season. Then later in the season he'll have seen it before and he'll learn.

It isn't, actually (a distinction without a difference). You either go through it and watch your fellow parents go through it and understand the practical difference between a school that offers merit scholarships, and a school that offers entirely need-based financial aid - or it probably doesn't matter to you. But someone offered admittance and a finaid package from Harvard would know.

Josh talked about using time-restricted eating last season. "a hungry warrior fights harder" or some such malarky. I'm sure Josh has his own team of nutritionists and flexibility and fitness coaches and massage therapists etc.

Probably that he was going to go on IR *whew* not a fan of Josh's ex at all, are you? Yeah, pretty sure the Bills have a PR guy assigned to Josh every media obligation he fulfils. I've seen him look off-camera before. It was already known at that point Shorter was on the 53 man roster. It hadn't been announced he was going on IR

Another example: Jerry Hughes. After he went into the tunnel just fuming and going off about the refs that one time, the word was soon out that you could grab Jerry Hughes with both hands (and probably your teeth, as long as you didn't leave marks) and it would make no difference. No holding was ever called, no hands to the face, nothing.

Speaking of Trey Lance...Bills may have enquired, but SF ate $8.4M of dead cap to move him. Stands to reason they wanted some reasonable draft comp. However, anyone who refers to drafting Boogie Basham or Cody Ford in the 2nd as the worst draft pick ever is cordially invited to read this article: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38253859/trey-lance-future-best-nfl-team-trade-fits-how-49ers-got-wrong-next From what was quoted, "Beane told me off the record" was not said, and it was said in front of actual microphones during an actual broadcast. If you're a journalist and that's your idea of proper journalistic etiquette for an "off the record" source, I don't know what to tell you.

I could be mistaken, but I believe McDermott and other coaches have alluded to the NFL fining them for criticizing the refs. At best, the coach will be fined, at worst, the coach will be fined AND the team will draw extra scrutiny from the league and from the refs. I believe the teams ARE allowed to send film to the league and question certain observations, or to raise issues about a pattern they believe they observe.

I guess opinions will vary, but if you express such a negative opinion of a player you have signed and are evaluating - not just "he's struggling right now, the playbook is new to him, I'm concerned" but "he just doesn't have what it takes / it's never gonna happen for him" - Wow. That's a very concerning way to talk about your roster to a member of the media, even "off the record". I don't think that's inconsequential to tell the media that a player you signed and penciled in as "#2" just doesn't have what it takes and is never going to improve. If your judgement is so bad that you confide in a member of the media "off the record" who then babbles it to his media buddy in front of a microphone, that's even worse. It's one thing for reporters to find something out, but for the GM to say something like that outside the facility, to someone who doesn't evaluate talent or coach for the Bills....Whew. I am highly skeptical because the Bills under Beane have a reputation as a "deep well", where scouts and NFL insiders say you just don't hear anything until it's happening. and that starts at the top, with Beane. It seems very out of character and out of keeping with the way the Bills seem to run things.

So here's the thing. If I speak "off the record" to you, it means I'm speaking in confidence. It's between you, me, and the walls. If you then make it between you, me, and your radio broadcast buddy IN THE BOOTH, with microphones around, it's no longer "off the record". You have broken my confidence. If it were true that Beane said something like that "off the record" to Miller, you need to change the tense to "it seems they HAD a good relationship".

So there's some kind of serious disconnect here. I've been watching the One Bills Live interview with Jordan Palmer. https://www.buffalobills.com/video/one-bills-live-jordan-palmer-on-working-with-josh-and-kyle-allen 14 minutes in, Palmer is talking about how Kyle Allen is one of the "smarter young football minds"; he talks about how the Bills have a really complicated offense to learn and Kyle picked it up "really quickly" In Beane's interview post-cutdown, he mentioned how Kyle needs to learn their offense, it's complicated, and how Case Keenum acknowledged it was a couple months into the season before he really "got it". Is Kyle Allen one of those "catnip for Coaches" guys who's a wizard in the film room and at the whiteboard, but who either can't put pen to paper when it comes to running the offense on the field, or whose eyes write checks that their arm can't cash? On the other hand.....the alleged comments come from the Chicago radio announcers, not Beane. And in the linked thread, @GoBills808 asks the highly relevant question "Why would Beane say that to a Bears announcer?" If there's one thing a GM needs, it's to live by the precept "A Closed Mouth Gathers No Feet". He absolutely can not be babbling stuff to other team's RADIO ANNOUNCERS, media members fergoshsakes, about one of his players - especially not stuff like ""Beane told me Allen has struggled from the very beginning. He just doesn't have what it takes / it's never gonna happen for him. He said he was very concerned." I vote "did not happen".

They played college ball together.

Interesting explanation. It's a fact that when the Bills tried to plug Dodson in for Milano, it did NOT go well. When the Bills tried to plug AJ Klein in for Milano, someone (might have been @GunnerBill? Someone who's a respected regular here) called him "the worst LB I have ever seen". Fast forward past 2 weeks where Milano is still trying to play and Klein is trying to load share with him. The Bills admit "this isn't working", they IR Milano, and the Bills defensive brain trust sits down and re-works the defensive responsibilities. BOOM "the worst linebacker I have ever seen" is KILLING Seattle. 4 sacks, a forced fumble he recovered, tackle for loss, pass defensed - AFC Defensive Player of the Week and for the next 3 games he didn't look back. I guarantee Russ Wilson saw "54" in his sleep for weeks. Anyway, valid point that there has been no "Plan B" to the Guido Torpedo. What I'm not sure about is that the Bills don't see Williams eventually playing MLB. But they have certainly made it clear, that's not where they see him at present.

Deion Jones was very very good early in his career. 1st team all pro, DROY, pro bowl. Did you see anything of him last year in Cleveland? He's listed as having 5 starts. He was with the Panthers thru training camp but cut on Tuesday. The contract he signed last spring with the Panthers was just over vet minimum. Jaylon Smith had been an injury replacement at MLB for the Giants last 2 seasons. Wound up starting 13 games for them at MLB last year. Signed with the Saints for vet minimum, cut and now on their practice squad.

Can you tell me more about this "off air leaked audio from the Bears booth"?

Harvard does not offer scholarships per se. Has not for more than 40 years. Like the rest of the Ivy league and MIT, they offer need-based grants and loans that, with family contribution, are supposed to cover the cost of attendance. Now whether their idea of what your family can contribute, and your family's idea, agree, is another matter.

It's interesting. Superficially, Oliver's contract and Edmunds are not too dissimilar. Oliver: 4 year $68M, $45M guaranteed ($24.5M guaranteed at signing) Edmunds: 4 year $72M, $50M guaranteed ($36.8M guaranteed at signing) Differences include $12.3M more guaranteed at signing and an extra million a year. Reportedly, Oliver's language contains offset language (if he is released and signs elsewhere, the Bills subtract his new team's salary from what they owe). I agree that various lines of evidence suggest the Bills wanted to re-sign Edmunds but he went above what they were willing to pay. I think there probably were some FA MLB available who were at least as "true" MLB as Dodson and Bernard are.

I'm not sure it means anything more than that they think Kirksey should be an upgrade on AJ Klein at this point. After all, they had the youth of Bernard/Dodson and they still went out and re-signed AJ Klein. Who looked, in game 3, like he couldn't be trusted to be where he was supposed to, because he simply wasn't able to get there.

Succinct statement of what I've been trying to explain. And Edmunds actually took a big step in his 5th year to the point where you might say "all pro is possible from here", but you don't bet 4 year, $72M with $50M guaranteed on that after he hasn't managed it in 5.

Good question. He was at one point. At this stage in his career and coming back from a hammy, I would say "uncertain". What he may be, is an upgrade on AJ Klein as that savvy vet player who knows the defense, can spot what the offense is doing and call the counter, and who can use his knowledge to compensate for elite physicality. That's really what this is. They saw an opportunity to upgrade on AJ Klein for the practice squad and as a "plan C" in case Dodson and Bernard both fail at MLB. Time will tell on everything else. Some people here like to over-react on everything. We trade an RB who is parked on the bench for Nyheim Hines, who immediately takes over the punt return duties that Crowder had been filling and that Shakir and McKenzie looked shaky with - and proceded to fill them capably all season while making limited offensive contributions. But some here act like we traded for our own budget Christian McCaffrey who would become an immediate game-changer on offense. Rationally when you look at what Hines actually accomplished before the trade, he was contributing a couple of rush attempts and a couple of receptions per game, for about 34 ypg, as well as being a solid returner. We got a good ROI for what we sent, and what his previous history was. Yea us!

Let me try to spell it out for you: 1) you laughed uproariously at McKenzie being reported cut from the Colts 2) a Colts NFL Insider pointed out that sometimes players are cut during roster manipulation, then re-signed 3) that is, in fact, what happened with McKenzie, as the Colts have now resigned him Why you can't process these simple facts and have to project some kind of personal quest into it instead, I don't understand, but You Do You. Aged well....Not.

Just a little point that last season, if you look at "passer rating against", Edmunds was 30th in the league with 63.6. If, by "heat seeking missile", you mean "able to seek and defend pass targets", there were only 4 LB who were better, one of whom was our own Guido Torpedo, Matt Milano, at 62.6. There were a lot of DB who were worse last year. I'll engage because I think you said something where we might be able to identify points of agreement and communicate. I think they do believe "most, if not all MLBs, aren't really a force against passing teams". I think they do believe a MLB who is not a force against passing teams isn't worth "much more than low-third-round picks". But I don't think it follows that they don't WANT an MLB who can be a force against passing teams. I think if there's someone they identify who could plausibly become what they hoped Edmunds would be, they would put resources into acquiring him. But Edmunds was the #6 FA contract this year, too rich for a team that is already paying their QB, WR1, LT, Edge, and CB on 2nd contracts, and there wasn't someone they could identify in that range. I do think they could have and should have done a bit more at MLB, but that's another story.

Shaw, with all respect, you skate right over evidence I spelled out in plain language - the Bills picked up his 5th year option. Why'd they do that, if MLB didn't matter to them? Or why didn't they pick it up and then trade him, maybe for more draft capital than a 3rd round comp? Speaking of draft capital, how can you square 2 3rd round picks in 2 years as "no draft capital"? Seriously? As for prioritizing elsewhere, I think of Beane and McDermott as a sort of executive chef team. They look at what they need, they look at what ingredients are potentially available to them, and they map out a strategy. You want to look at their food purchase decisions and say "well they didn't buy a steak this year, they spent their money on veal and chicken, so clearly steak doesn't matter to them since they didn't buy a steak". I say "maybe they couldn't square the quality of the available steak with its cost and with other menu needs, so they made a plan to live with hamburger, buy two beef calves to fatten up for the future, and fund the organic chicken and prime veal they need. That doesn't mean they don't value steak, or that they won't buy a steak in the future". That was the point of my analogy to what the Bills did last year at slot (seems similar to what they did this year at MLB), only to invest a 1st rounder and their 2nd biggest FA $$ this year. Last year's meagre investment doesn't mean they didn't value slot and want a star there, as we see by this year's investment. It just means they thought they could "get by" with what they had (and were probably wrong). I don't think you're able to be fully reasonable in discussion on this point - you seem so dug in on your POV that you're unable to fully recognize counter points. I've given it my best shot, so rather than dead horse whaling, we're going to have to agree to disagree. Ciao!

So his positive traits would be explosion, and fast straight-line speed? What do you see as a ceiling? I sort of felt the "best ability is availability" combined with coaching change was sufficient explanation for "moving right along". Near as I can tell, he had 4 different DCs in Cleveland, then when Kevin Stefanski took over, it only makes sense to kick the highly paid guy with the poor availability to the curb. But Pettine, who was his HC for 2 years, was DC in Green Bay when they signed him - that would say Pettine thought well of him. When I look at Spotrac's ILB FA list, it's kind of un-inspiring. But there are a couple guys who signed for $2.5-$3M who seem plausibly better than what we have