Beck Water

Questions: 1) when did you see Bernard fail at playing MLB? (The only game he started last season, he played for Milano) 2) when did you see Dodson fail at playing MLB? Strengths/weaknesses? (spoiler: Dodson has played for Milano at times, and also played base D) 3) can you explain the apparent belief that how a player plays, in one game their rookie year or their first game with a team, is predictive of their entire career? (if it were, Josh Allen would not be Josh Allen) I disagree that Milano is the only one with the necessary processing skills. Klein has the processing skills - possibly better processing skills than Milano, from what the players say about him. Whether he has the physical abilities to match the processing skills, or whether they can design a D that will mask them, I can't tell you. Am I mis-remembering, or are you the one who pointed out that the first time you saw Klein on the field for the Bills, you thought he was the worst player in the league and then a month or so later he was FSU and won Defensive Player of the Week? Part of that was how he was used, but part of that was gaining understanding of the scheme so that he could put his processing skills to use to overcome his physical shortcomings. I'll help with Q2. Dodson has played the majority of the snaps at MLB 4 times. 2020 9/20 vs Miami, W 31-28. (next to AJ Klein playing for Milano) 2022 10/9 vs Pitt, W 38-3 (11 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 sack) 11/13 vs Minn OT L 30-33 (3 tackles) 11/20 vs Browns W 31-23 (13 tackles)

It has to do with roles and responsibilities. The MLB has the responsibility of making defensive calls to react to offensive formation changes. He gets a speaker in his helmet and a green dot. He has those responsibilities (and is playing MLB) if he lines up outside to blitz. Also, one of the reasons the Bills have been a predominantly 4-2-5 team over the last years has been because Taron Johnson is really a "lite linebacker" on the field when needed, enabling them to keep him on the field (or occasionally subbing Siran Neal) on downs where other teams might go to base D. Except it's not "only his opinion". If the Bills coaches and FO thought that Milano could bring his level of play to the MLB spot, I think they shoot straight enough that they'd just say "we plan to move Milano to MLB and hold an open competition in camp between every other LB on the roster to fill Milano's current role" Instead, they've said the opposite, clearly and unambiguously and multiple times. When asked how they can go into the season without someone who has proven they can play MLB, they don't say "hey, in a pinch, Milano at MLB is our fall back option". They say "we have someone on the roster who has proven they can play MLB, AJ Klein can do it.".

I will go on record here saying your crystal ball is cracked in this instance. I can't tell you if Williams will play MLB for the Bills this year or ever. I can say that I don't think the Bills intend to take one of their best defensive players, an every-down player, and platoon him at a different position. Milano is one of our best defensive players. He plays 100% of the snaps unless the starters come off the field or he's hurt. McDermott and Beane have both been asked about moving Milano to the middle, and have both unambiguously said no. Beane also went on record before Milano's FA about Milano being injured more than they'd like. He changed up his playing style at OLB the last 2 years and has been injured less. So you're suggesting that they take a player who has made desired changes to minimize injury and who has been an every-down top defender at his current position, and move him to a position where his injuries are likely to rise and where he'll come off the field on run downs. I think that's a Plan where you Lose Your Hat. And a Plan where you Lose Your Hat is a Bad Plan. Now mind you, I don't think Beane and McDermott speak nothing but the truth or the whole truth, but I do think they shoot straight enough that when they say, repeatedly and straight up, that they do NOT plan to move Matt Milano from his current role, and that they DO plan to have a competition at MLB between Dodson, Bernard, Spector, Klein, and now (maybe) Williams - who did say McDermott told him to learn both the OLB and MLB role - they said what they meant and they meant what they said.

My reading of the coach speak tea leaves is that you can bank on it.

Several on this board have pointed out to you that if one looks at the top 10 ILBs in the NFL today by several criteria - AAV contract (efficient market theory), rankings by several sites etc. - the average weight of these top-35 inside linebackers is literally 235. So let's not write as though it's the coaching staff and "some on this board". It's the trend in the modern NFL where in general, the passing game and stopping it are key. Whether or not you're OK with what is, sounds like a "you" issue.

This was a question brought up to both McDermott and Beane after Edmunds signed elsewhere. Both very firmly answered "no", they would not consider moving Milano to MLB, he would retain his current role. And it really makes sense. You have a player who has honed his skill to be one of the best in the business at his current position, so why move him elsewhere? I think people are misunderstanding what Beane and McD have said about Dorian Williams. They've pointed out that he has a learning curve, going from Tulane to a higher level of competition, and Beane said that to START camp, he would be starting outside. They did not say "they THINK of him more like an OLB." And Williams stated that McDermott told him to learn both outside and inside LB positions. I think Williams is going to be given an opportunity to define for himself how they will think of him. I think they are managing fan expectations and saying that they don't expect him to come from Tulane and jump into the role of directing the offense right off of the bat.

Sometimes nicknames do come from the fans or the media, but they're invariably the result of play on the field. The "Electric Company" was after the OL powered OJ Simpson to multiple NFL rushing records. It would have been cringe AF (IMHO) if fans started making up nicknames before Simpson so much as set foot on the field or during his first 3 years, when he wasn't featured as an RB and was barely rushing for 600 yds a season. The "Bermuda Triangle" nickname was coined by a Buffalo News sportswriter after he started watching RB yards disappear at the hands of Smerlas Nelson and Haslett. Again, the point being - not who coined the nickname, but the fact that it emerged AFTER watching results on the field, not before these guys even laced up their cleats It's not a huge deal, but trying to create a catchy nickname sometimes fizzles, like when folks here were saying we had the best DL in the league (on paper) in 2012 before they played a snap, and Wannstache had them playing like wet tissue paper, pathetic. I expect I'm not the only fan who's a bit superstitious - "just a little stitious" as Josh has said - about jinxing the season by crafting a cool nickname in advance of the guy's play.

I've had exactly that same question. Edwards made a point a couple times of how Kromer gives "everyone but the C" a chance to try all 4 positions. In LA, Rob Havenstein was pretty solid at RT. At least last season, Spencer Brown was a lower bar to raise. Of course, with Edwards, the first question is "how is his concussion recovery, really?" and is he more susceptible to another? You do realize that if the Bills actually used a 2nd round pick on a OG they plan to sit for a year and a 3rd round pick on a LB who isn't ready to play defense, that would be a pretty crummy draft strategy?

Yeah, I don't see that either. WTH does "functionally guaranteed" even mean? Per Spotrac, his 2024 salary is not guaranteed except for injury until after the 2024 superbowl, when $1.1M guarantees. If a portion of it guarantees, then it's not guaranteed. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/connor-mcgovern-29126/

LOL

LOL. The way he talked when he was here I sort of expected him to be driving a racecar by now. Maybe that didn't work out for him, Maybe his wifey talked him out of that, or maybe he just loves Ball and can't quit it.

AJ McCarron. I almost swerved into a guardrail first time I saw his face and name on a giant billboard advertising the team. They also had Austin Proehl at WR

XFL has really been doing well in St Louis, where a considerable fan following for football remains along with a sense of disgruntlement over how the departure was handled, which kept fans from following the Rams after their move to LA Fans show up to the games to tailgate and watch in person, and the TV viewship is also high Three guesses who the Battlehawks QB was.... (hint: Bills connection)

It was Neal. The thing is we didn't play dime that often - if at all. They also substituted Neal in as a "heavy nickel" instead of Johnson against some running teams, with some good success.

Question: Do you feel Edmunds had a significantly better 2022 season than previously? Some people who watch games closely seem to think so Others point out that his statistics for tackles etc were very similar to previous years, and attribute improvement to better line play keeping the LB clean

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/tim-settle-25264/ You're correct just thought folks would want to see what you're talking about Keep in mind this was a re-work the Bills did this off season to lower his cap hit this year at the expense of creating more dead money next

You might find this Cover1 piece of interest, discussing how McDermott's defenses in Philly and in Carolina created pressure

LOL That's standard operating procedure for the Trade Hims! around here. TBD Talent Evaluator: "Playername Sucks! He's a bust! No way should we sign him to a big contract!" Also TBD Talent Evaluator: "Trade Playername! We should be able to make a player for player trade for a good talent or a 2nd round pick!" The obvious logical fallacy that if said player isn't a starter or worth his current salary on the Bills, other teams are probably not willing to give up a starting player or a premium pick for him in order to take over that salary on a 1 year rental, never seems to occur

So Pete Carroll seems to think NT or 1T is his "home base"?

Is he 3TDT then? I was thinking 1T

Waita minnut pro football reference has him at 5'11", 310 lbs - isn't he UNDERSIZED?

You can take the question mark out of the title. The Bills have reported this themselves

I think you can bet on it.

What about Gilliam? They just signed him to a 2 year contract last season. He doesn't have a lot of dead cap, but they do seem to really like him. It might be a battle between him and Morris, but if they're trying to do more run up the gut they also might like to keep their FB Over in another thread, @JGMcD2 put out a pretty good 53 man roster guess https://www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/247098-bills-sign-udfa-6’6-wr-shavers-reportedly-3-year-deal/page/2/#comment-8384772 For reference, here is how the Bills roster broke down in 2021 and 2022: Historically last 2 seasons, Bills roster has broken down as follows 2022 QB 2, RB 4, FB 1, WR 6, TE 3, OL 9, DL 9, LB 6, CB 6 S 4 ST 3 2021 QB 2 RB 4, FB1 WR 7, TE 2, OL 9 DL 10 LB 6, CB 5 S 4 ST 3 I also don't think they'll move on from Klein. McDermott is big on vet leadership, and Klein is there "we know he can do it" vet MLB fallback position

I don't think Siran Neal is going anywhere this year. Someone needs to take his job as the dime back, and we may spend more time in different defensive formations. McKenzie, who was legit fast, always said that Siran Neal was the fastest guy on the team despite his 4.56 pajama olympics time. I think it's good, and reasonable, that we're apparently moving on and replacing 3 ST regulars in Johnson, Kumerow, and Jones. So keeping 2 in Matakevich and Neal is not unreasonable.