Beck Water

Why? Most players who have had an ACL injury seem to find the 1st year back a struggle, and the 2nd year back much closer to form.

I agree with your basic premise that KC was not "questionable" in having good receiving targets, overall better than the Bills. I'm a bit curious how you come up with Kelce > Diggs though. By most metrics I don't think that tracks. TikTokBoy > Davis and MVS > McK is a pretty straightforward case, and the Chiefs got more receiving from their RB as well.

The question, of course, is whether we plan to continue to run 2TE sets at one of the lowest frequencies in the league? If so, then obviously investing a 1st round pick on Kincaid was foolish. But I don't think that's the plan. I believe that at the "U" in Miami, Dorsey made heavy use of his TE as receiving weapons. In Carolina, it was Mike Shula's offense of course, but once they acquired Ed Dickson in FA, he was on the field almost half the time while Greg Olson was taking >95% of the snaps. Most of those years, Olson was also leading the team in receiving yards. So at least in theory, Dorsey knows how to utilize 2 TE sets in the passing game.

Seems like a pretty fair assessment, though it seems a bit double-dipping to mention the safety position 2x and Deonte Harty 2x. I would think the Bengals feel 'dissed' to not be mentioned as a top-3 team, wonder what the logic is there? One can make a pretty sound argument for them having one of the best OL and one of the best WR corps in football.

Strangely enough, I have read several threads and posts on other threads about that very WR depth concern, right on this message board. 😅😅 For example this from @Jerry Jabber

I don't understand the laughy face response. Josh Allen gave him props that he is really good at separating vs. man coverage. He is. It's how he killed the Patriots and the Dolphins. The problem is, the Bills don't see a lot of man coverage.

It's from 3 weeks ago, during voluntary OTAs. You're just seeing it all over today because some pundit used it to suggest Allen was throwing shade at Diggs. I think it's pretty clear from the original context that it wasn't a "dig" at Diggs, Allen was asked to comment on the new receivers and he gave props to Sherfield.

100% agree. That would indeed, be a terrible trade. I know Ben Albright has good connections and knows some Ball but that's actually bad on the level of some of the crazy trade posts we get here, along the lines of "Oliver sucks, let's trade him and a 5th round pick to the Vikings for Justin Jefferson" or the like. (Proposing we trade a player who is disappointing to us, to another team for one of their best players and peanuts in picks.

Like @Southern_Bills said, person can know that and still have problems if they are trying to save someone else who doesn't know or panics.

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/jun/27/ryan-mallett-dead-at-35/ Swimming accident in the Gulf of Mexico can be many things. Rip tide would be one. Sounds as though swimming pool may be incorrect. Which is not to say that intoxicants might not be involved, but no need to go straight there.

Diggs is on such a different level than Sherfield right now that stuff like that probably doesn't register with him. Let Sherfield start taking snaps or targets from him and then see. Until then, I doubt Sherfield and praise of Sherfield are even on his radar. And even if they were, the "Diggs is mad because DHop wasn't signed with the money freed up by re-negotiating his contract:" crowd should expect him to be pleased if one of the Bills signings looks like he might work out (and take some defensive attention from Diggs).

That's one of those "who knows?" things. He stood up and announced he was "stepping away due to health issues". He def. did have some health issues, but he ws only 57 🤷‍♂️ So opinions vary, just as they do as to whether Frazier legit chose to step back for a year, or was pushed out by being told McD would call plays, or was shadow-fired. There's no question on the last. My only point is that it's hardly the sure bet to jettison a winning coach and bring in someone new, that some folks seem to believe. It may lead to a better result, it may not.

Pretty sure it's "What you wanna do?"

I agree with your point that people trying to make drama out of Allen praising a newly acquired Bills player seem to be pot-stirring Also doubtful that anyone posting here knows Diggs on a personal level. As for the final line though - are you implying that other high end talent won't "flock" to the Bills because of media and fans who you say are "the problem"? That seems like a silly take, if so. I doubt top NFL talent gives too much of a damn about media coverage and fans. Past events seem to indicate they care about 1) getting paid well 2) playing for a team that's likely to win a bunch, because losing sucks 3) receivers care somewhat about playing for a QB who can help them put up the numbers - though top receivers like Hill and Hopkins seem to believe they can "make" the QB. And there might be some reason to that- what was it Tyreek Hill said to a Miami reporter, "I could put up numbers with you throwing to me"?

No. Reads like standard "praise the new guy" stuff to me.

No, I was talking about the 5 years Reid coached in Kansas City (11, 9, 11, 12, and 10 win seasons, 4 playoff appearances) prior to starting his elite QB. No one could reasonably argue that Mahomes didn't elevate that offense to an entire new level. But it's also a fair point that KC had the #6 offense in the league the year before Mahomes first started, and a top-10 offense 3 of those 5 years. They also had a top-10 defense 4 of those 5 years. The point is, they were a team with considerable offensive and defensive talent in place and with an established culture of winning and knowing what it takes to win, before the elite Mahomes was given the keys.

Del? I don't discount Brown having no off-season. He also had ankle injuries last season IIRC. But, I'm a bit skeptical as to what that means for him as an NFL OLman. Maybe now that he's had the surgery he'll be all good - that's the same hope we hold for Micah Hyde. On the other hand, we fans were hearing a very similar story from Brandon Beane about Cody Ford going into the 2021 season (his 3rd): how he's played more games injured than healthy, how fans are discounting the impact of him needing off-season surgery and having no off-season strength training, how his best football is ahead of him. And we know how that worked out: with Ford losing his starting job as a guard to Daryl Williams, then being traded before the 2022 season.

You make some excellent points. There's something to be said for being a vocal, "in your face" leader. I seem to remember a game - against Miami? the Bills were getting pwn'd in the 1st half. They came out in the 2nd half and turned it around. Beasley was asked what happened, he said something to the effect "the coaches yelled at us in the locker room, maybe next time they should do it before the game". If the team isn't taking another team seriously and lacks focus, maybe some yelling is merited. But as far as the OL. There's nothing harder on an elite athlete (and every man who makes it to the NFL is an elite athlete, the guy no one could handle in HS and more often than not in college) than getting technically whipped by the opponent and feeling like there's nothing he can do about it. Yelling probably doesn't improve Saffold's ability to anchor and hand technique or Spencer Brown's footwork during a game. Things that may help: 1) technical position coaching, from teammates or coaches. Is a mistake being made and placing a hand *here* instead of *there* might help? 2) different protection calls/blocking assistance from 6th OL or RB/TE 3) play calls, recognizing the OL is struggling and changing to plays where we're getting the ball out fast

FWIW, McDermott mentioned "better decision making" as a skill Allen needed to build on to take the next step with the team. Also FWIW, some people here like to dunk on Kurt Warner's fillm breakdowns of Josh because Warner was a very different style of QB who played in a very different style of offense. I think that misses the point that a guy like Warner with a limited physical skill set made it to the Superbowl because of his "grey matter"; he is well able to understand and dissect what the defense is doing and exactly what that means for the available options on offense. His "Study Ball" "QB Confidential" film breakdowns on Allen are worth watching during this slow time of the off-season. https://www.youtube.com/@kurtwarnerqbc/search?query=Allen Warner has fundamentally become an Allen fan, and openly acknowledges that Josh has options he didn't because of Allen's great physical gifts. But his points about decision making and how that played into the Bills red zone woes at times last season are IMHO worth revisiting.

Would just like to point out something else he had in 2020 - a very good "always open" slot receiver in Beasley AND a credible deep threat in John Brown/rookie Gabe Davis. Because Beasley was running option routes, it took a while for defenses to "break the code" and figure out how to take them away 2020 Beasley still had the quickness/speed off the line and shiftiness that 2021 Beasley had begun to lack, plus by 2021 there was enough film of defenses successfully taking away Beasley that, especially after the rib injury, he wasn't as able to be effective in 2021.

I actually kind of agree with this. Diggs teammates seem to recognize Diggs as a ball-hog who "makes good" by making great plays, so they tolerate and put a positive spin on it. They also seem to say he's a good teammate week in, week out. I agree that Diggs could find more positive, team-rallying ways to express that energy. This take, though, just seems bizarre. I guess every player on every team in the league except the Superbowl winner, are losers who have won nothing, in your eyes? ?? Don't inflate your stats. You say something, it's fair game to point out the origin of the comparison. Deal.

I think you're probably correct on the "exceptions", though depending upon how you slice it there are probably others. The Rams firing Mike Martz 4 years after a Superbowl appearance and during a down year after 2 straight division losses, would possibly be another. Took the Rams 12 seasons and 4 different HC to manage another winning season and playoff appearance. The Cowboys firing Phillips during a down season after 3 winning seasons and two division losses (11 and 13 wins) could be another. Took them 5 seasons under their new HC to achieve another winning season/playoff appearance and they haven't gone any deeper than the Division round. I do agree that most coaches are fired because the team is losing and they fail to turn it around. But there might be more "fired for underachieving expectations" firings than one thinks, I don't have energy about it to do something systematic.

If they're "fake claims" against which I'm able to hire unlimited numbers of top attorneys but are nevertheless convicted in the US court system, and I continue to enjoy the fruits of a $2.5B lifestyle after my "whole life" is "ruined", I could be OK with that. What does this have to do with Diggs? Ask @Warriorspikes51, they came up with the analogy "some fans are leaving negative comments on Diggs IG just because he's into fashion (Same thing happened to Poyer with his charity golf thing)" To which @EasternOHBillsFan responded suggesting (to my interpretation) that one shouldn't compare negative comments about an interest in fashion to negative comments about playing on a golf course owned by.....well, you know the rest. If someone says it here, it's fair game to respond here. A point which seems to have escaped @SCBills when he made the post to which I responded with a couple of links: Like, maybe the "y'all" who truly can't help yourselves, are the ones who have to make the comparison between Poyer holding a tournament at a convicted sexual abuser's golf course and Diggs attending fashion shows? Seriously, what looney tune thinks that's a good comparison? Diggs has done nothing wrong - no crimes, no indictments, held his football camp at his alma mater not at a venue owned by a billionaire who has been convicted of abuse and who faces additional charges. Whether you agree with the conviction and the charges or not, it's a fact that they exist. I have no idea what "TDS much" means. TDS means "total dissolved solids" to me.

Is the fact that Reid coached a playoff-contending 11, 10, 12 win team without an elite QB the 5 seasons before he started his elite QB considered relevant?

I think perhaps sometimes it is. Consider the case of Gary Kubiak, who was fired after Denver had a winning season 9-7. This was 1 season after winning the Superbowl and after 4 consecutive 12 and 13 win seasons, and with 7th round pick Trevor Siemian at QB. Kubiak didn't miss the playoffs multiple times, didn't have a losing season. Yet it was clearly considered "subpar" to go 9-7 after winning a Superbowl. I think Superbowl (or at least deep into playoffs) had become the expectation in Denver, so Kubiak was considered to have under-achieved. A good related question is "how often is firing a winning coach for 'underachieving' high expectations a successful strategy for the firing team?" Denver hasn't had a winning season in the 6 years and 3 HC since they fired Kubiak The threads they start still show up. Answering for your friend. A little grayed-out bar "You've chosen to ignore content by ScreenName. " shows up for each post that person makes, with an Options drop down which allows you to choose to see that person's post.