Beck Water

So I know Mike Florio is a polarizing guy, but I think when he cites "sources" he probably has them. According to what Florio says, the Bills are playing hardball with Hines contract https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nyheim-hines-bills-at-odds-over-financial-consequences-of-his-non-football-injury Some of what Florio says about the Bills pursing the signing bonus paid by the Colts seems bizarro land, though.

This seems like a weird response to me. Where did anyone say anything about Diggs (or anyone) "hurting Josh Allen's feelings"? You expressed concern about Josh Allen sitting there looking like his dog died. I pointed out that we've seen that look in other top QB - Burrow, Mahomes - when their team is getting its butt whipped, and that it's an awful feeling for a competitive athlete to know they're getting physically beaten and don't have the chops at that moment to change it. That doesn't have to do with getting your feelings hurt by someone. As Josh Allen attributes to his college coach, "Football is a man whupping man game". Getting whupped does not feel good. However, that said, there are constructive/helpful and unconstructive ways for teammates and coaches to try to change the momentum. And Diggs standing there yelling at Allen while he's sitting with his QB coach trying to diagnose plays on his Surface is not constructive. It has nothing to do with Diggs hurting his feelings, and everything to do with, it's just not useful.

That's not at all my memory of what happened with Spencer Brown, so I actually looked it up. It's true that Brown saw a few snaps on ST - 25%-ish- to start the season But the OL that started the season in 2021 wasn't getting it done. Darryl Williams was not looking good at RT. Cody Ford was looking worse at RG. Feliciano wasn't looking like "all that" at LG, then was injured and "out" going into Game 4. So the team started Boettger at LG, slid Williams inside to RG, and started Brown at RT in Game 4. And the R side of the line looked better, so they kept it that way (Feliciano got his job back until he was injured) Brown only played 3 games before sustaining a back injury that kept him out 2 games, played a game, missed two more, then played the rest of the season.

Subscription, but good article from Joe B in The Athletic. Some concerning inaccuracy from Allen. . Joe B attributes this to "slight rust" and points out that offense is often behind defense at the start of camp. A couple other interesting points. On Benford/Elam, Joe feels Elam needs to step up his game: Joe also liked some of what he saw from 2015 1st round pick and 2 season CFL player Shane Ray. I'm kinda skeptical - it's a tough break that he had torn ligaments and needed surgery and maybe tried to come back too soon, and it's a tough break he ended his Argonauts season with a torn bicep, but that's A Lot to come back from at age 30.

I mean, would you honestly try to defend that split between the way Diggs was behaving (gesticulating and yelling at Allen on the bench while Allen is trying to look at stills, storming out of the tunnel without gathering with the team) vs. "good little soldiers stone faced on the sideline"? Seems to me there's a lot of space in between. One of the worst things for any athlete is knowing that he's getting beaten and he can't do anything about it, because physically he's lacking the chops. It must be unimaginably worse for an elite athlete playing at the highest level. That seems to be a very hard thing to change around during a game. We saw that same thousand-mile "dog just died" stare out of Joe Burrow, by the way, during the AFCCG against the Chiefs and during the Chiefs SB loss to Tampa Bay. In Allen's case, it's possible there was a factor of his elbow injury making him physically unable to make some of the throws he needed to be able to make to change things around

I guess this must be one of those Rashoman things. I can't defend a lot of Diggs behavior. I thought he threw a hissy fit on the sideline and stormed out in a huff. The word a media member who posts here used was "petulant" as in "he appeared petulant". I'm not a professional football player, but I think there are ways to psych up and encourage your teammates, and that wasn't what Diggs was showing on the sidelines. And I heard inclings in today's presser that Diggs realizes that. Where the Rashoman thing came in, is that I'm sure I didn't hear every interview or show Diggs gave off season but I didn't hear him "expressing how unhappy he was with the state of the team" or throwing them under the bus. He expressed frustration with how the season ended that I believe every player on the team felt, so that's not a surprise.

I thought there were some hints in the press conference that Diggs is committed to doing some things differently this season. Stuff Diggs said. I don't have enough energy about it to go back through the whole thing and find them. It was stuff about how he can do more, and he WILL, to support Josh and the team. I don't want to cast doubt upon your source, but I tend to doubt he or she is privy to every private conversation between Diggs and the coaches or Diggs and Josh Allen or Diggs and the other WR.

Really? Barring injuries (Avert!) ...... Say more. 🍿

Yeah. My "take" on it is that the lawyer knows full well the Bills would be within their rights, with Hines on reserve/NFI, to take a number of actions of increasingly hardball nature. At a minimum, they are not on the hook for Hines salary, including apparently the $1M of it that is guaranteed for cap skill or injury. But, as you point out, the Bills now have to replace Hines. Their first shot at this was to sign Darrynton Evans for $940k. I think a reasonable "meet in the middle" approach for a guy who Beane says they want on the roster in 2024, would be to agree to pay him the $1M of his $2.56 salary that was guaranteed, and for Hines to agree to not pursue a grievance for the remaining $1.56M. That lets the Bills backfill his position.

You are correct

Can I say that you're both right, just in different pressers? @GoBills808 is correct that prior to Day 1 of minicamp, McDermott was asked how concerned he was that Diggs wasn't at minicamp, and he replied "Very" - touching off a media storm and eliciting clarification from Digg's agent Adisa Bakari that Diggs reported, underwent physical, etc @MasterStrategist is correct that at a later, "extra" press conference to address Diggs, McDermott "said he's concerned anytime "any player" misses practice But they weren't the same presser, and the earlier one did not answer generally or mention "any player". So I guess that makes @GoBills808 more right. On this point. (Don't let it go to your head, Oh Defender of Lettuce)

Josh! Pass intended for Diggs.

There's some stuff in the training camp starts today thread. Also in Astro's update Harty, Shakir and newly signed RB Evans getting work on PR KO return had a bunch more From Astro update: ----------- The kick returners were Khlil Shakir, Darrynton Evans, and Deonte Harty. In that order. New faces, new places. [I think he means punt return, based on something a media member tweeted, but maybe they did KR too] During kick return drills they used some new faces, as well. KeeSean Johnson, Dane Jackson, Kaiir Elam, and Alex Austin showed a mix of familiar and unfamiliar numbers. ------------

Just a little point that McDermott had options other than very, a little , or not. He could have re-framed the question, or answered a different question, or made it general as he tried to do in a later press conference "I'm always concerned when one of our players isn't practicing, but we're hoping to get him out tomorrow, we'll see how that goes". It wasn't McDermott's best press moment to answer as he did, I don't think that's debatable.

I don't think anyone would argue against that. But I also think that everyone - head coaches included - does not always choose the best language in front of a hot mike 100% of the time. There are words McDermott could have used in other press conferences that would have raised less controversy here and elsewhere as well.

John Wawrow: 🤦‍♂️ (that's the exchange that led to Diggs saying to Wawrow "Just ask the question, please. Thank you."

I don't think McDermott would be "picking a fight" but let's flip the question. The last time McDermott saw Diggs, he was seen screaming at Josh Allen on the sideline then rushing down the tunnel before McDermott addressed the team and having to be hauled back by a PS RB. Do you honestly feel that's behavior McDermott wouldn't feel the need to address with a player?

I was going off of some reporter's tweets about who the PR guys were

I wouldn't bet the farm that the script didn't go the other way - that McD said some things that Diggs took offense to and Diggs left in a snit, leaving McD concerned. In reality, I imagine it went both ways

In hindsight and from a place of calmness, McDermott's comments did a lot to raise concern. My guess is that McDermott was right off the heels of a heated convo that didn't go too well from his POV and was speaking from the heart.

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/camp-highlights-josh-allen-finds-stefon-diggs-for-the-touchdown

Hines agent firing a shot across the bow; some of the responses: Also Ed Wasielewski commenting on Broncos placing WR KJ Hamler and DT Mike Purcell on their NFI (non-football-related injury) list: The Bean-meister says "no comment" in a nice way:

There's a video out there with Josh describing a situation where he and his younger brother had a heated exchange during a basketball scrimmage, ending with Josh's brother throwing a punch and giving him a black eye then Josh driving off and stranding his brother at their highschool. His mom freaked out and called her oldest daughter: "Oh, they'll be fine. They're best friends. They'll hug it out." When you're an uber competitive alpha male, evidently brotherhood looks a bit...Different.

I need answers. What happened here?