Beck Water

I think several things are at play. One is, the scheme does rely on some fast but undersized guys who compensate by going hard and hitting hard. I don't think it's an accident that we had a rash of injuries playing on the turf-over-cement field in UK and then another rash of injuries during the Pittsburgh playoff game in cold weather that made the fill under our turf hard and unyielding. A second is, bad luck. When you have a player like Tre White who tore his ACL and then returned and tore his Achilles, that's just bad luck A third is, we did "age out" on some players like Poyer and Hyde and are ageing out on others, like Milano.

Interesting points you raise. So yes, Beasley was brought to B'lo to be that football-smart sure handed outlet who can move the chains. And he really exceeded expectations. But he was paid like a "good enough" guy - $7.25M AAV, 4 year $29M with $10M guaranteed at signing and the initial year cap hits being $5.6M-ish. That's "savvy vet with good hands who has shown he can bring in 500-600 yds and 30+ 1D on the regular. That's Curtis Samuel type expectations and $$ - Samuel $8M AAV, 3 year $24M, $13 guaranteed at signing is the "inflation corrected" Bease $$, and Samuel has been that "count on him for 600 yds and 30+ 1D guy" for two teams. That's what you pay a "move the chains" type guy. Diggs with the Texans, on the other hand, is a paradox wrapped in an enigma IMO. They are NOT paying him like a "move the chains" guy: $22.5M is #16 in NFL. BUT, the Texans #1 last year was Nico Collins, and his connection with Stroud should only get better. 80 receptions and 1300 yds last year on 109 targets. They also have Tank Dell, who was injured last year but did very well (don't know how far along he is in rehab). Greg Cosell said "the Texans aren't bringing Diggs in as a #1 WR". Maybe so, Greg, but they're paying him like one, like their "big splash" offensive addition who can take them to the next level, their Ja'Maar Chase to the Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. So there you have it: the Texans are either planning to lean on Diggs as their #1 (the $$ say so), or, they're not (Cosell says the film says so)

I think Beane and Co are more likely to walk down Jefferson Ave handing out free platters of wings and blue cheese than they are to keep 2 safeties plus Cam Lewis, and I wouldn't stand by the curb with a bib and a napkin ready to dine, if I were you. "Worth keeping" by your standard isn't the way it works. One of the best ways of predicting future performance is by past actions. In 2023 the Bills kept 5 safeties and 6 CB. Two of the safeties were Damar Hamlin and Cam Lewis. One of the CBs was Siran Neal, who was their dime CB and primarily STer. In 2022 the Bills kept 4 safeties and 6 CB. Two of the safeties were Jaquan Johnson and Damar Hamlin. Cam Lewis was counted as a cornerback. So was Siran Neal, who again, dime CB and primarily STer. What can we learn by this? 1) the Bills will keep some players who are not "worth keeping" from the viewpoint of being every day, every week NFL starters on a good team - Jaquan Johnson, Siran Neal, in 2023 certainly Damar Hamlin. There might be a better backup available at their defensive position, but they will be kept for the overall combination of "next man up" adequacy and every game ST play. 2) when there is uncertainty - as in 2023, the Bills weren't sure Damar Hamlin would be able to handle being an NFL player, or if they're uncertain who the best 4 really are - the Bills will tend to keep an extra player at that position

MVS contract was certainly set up as though he was viewed as a lock, but he's kind of been drilling out the cylinder IMHO.

This makes a lot of sense. If the OL and DL are wearing approved helmet models, they don't wear them.

Negative on Mia in Buffalo, Shakir was 6 for 6 in that puppy

That's my point about Brasky selectively quoting to generate controversy. What Allen actually said was very carefully crafted to give Stef his propers, while at the same time being positive about the WR who are here.

Question: Last year the OL and DL were wearing those Guardian Caps and there were some comments that they helped. This year, I notice the DBs, RB, TE and WR are wearing them - but NOT the OL and DL Anyone know what's up with that? Example:

? Where did you obtain this info? Perhaps this is "fumbles lost", not "fumbles"? I think it's important to look at total fumbles, since statistics say it's 50/50 who recovers once the ball goes on the ground. Cook had 4 fumbles last season. Whether this was running after a catch, or just running, that's 281 touches/4 fumbles which is 1 fumble every 70 touches or 1 fumble every 59 rush attempts ; the 9 backs ahead of him for rush attempts were all significantly more rush attempts per fumble - and so were the 9 backs immediately following him. 2nd lowest was Tony Pollard with 1 fumble every 81 rush attempts. Of note, are the change in this from year to year; backs can and do improve. On passes, yes, he caught 81.5% of his targets. Good pass catching RBs usually have catch percentage of 80% or better because they're catching short passes. But Cook had 6 scored drops on 54 targets. That's more than 11%. If he hung on to half of those, he'd have a catch % of 87%, which would put him up with Kamara, Pacheco, and Rachad White - a top stat, but not unrealistic or unachievable. Bottom line should we pillory the guy, No, but he can do better, and if he wants to be a key player who helps the team to a championship, we need him to do better.

Good question. As far as RB doing rushing attempts, Cook was the worst of the top-10 backs with 59 rush attempts per fumble. There were 2 others in the top 20 who were worse, Raheem Mostert and Rhamondre Stevenson. It's a variable year to year, though - in 2023, Derrick Henry had 280 attempts with 0 fumbles, but the previous year was 58 attempts per fumble - same as Cook. So it can be fixed. Pass attempts are trickier because there are a lot more variables - was it scored as a drop (not an official stat)? should it have been? was it a catch than a fumble?

"Nothing is Given. Everything is Earned"

Brasky selectively quoted to create drama. Full quote: "Stef's a great player, and what he brought to this team was special...so...miss is...I don't know if I'd say miss. He was a guy that was reliable, that you could look to, he's gonna have the juice each and every day, I'm sure he's bringing it over there in Houston, so definitely, you can't say that you don't miss that. But I'm very happy with what we've got going on here, and how hard the guys have been working, and yeah." That was a great answer to effectively a "have you stopped beating your wife yet?" question. If Josh said he doesn't miss Stef, it's a knock on Stef and his 4 year contributions to the team. If Josh says he does miss Stef, it's a knock on the current receiver room and the guys he's trying to build bonds with. I thought Josh handled it well, and even so Brasky tried to slice it and dice it to generate controversy.

I saw this, and knew this response was inevitable:

If that's true, it will take away a big aspect of the fluiditity/uncertainty Brady hopes to achieve.

I understand China was a leader in developing this techology, in part because of their strict masking requirements. But, as far as I know, periocular recognition requires that you look straight into a camera; facial recognition systems that pick people out of a crowd require the full face. They make you take these off. But I'm wondering if colored contact lenses and dramatic eye makeup would foil the system.

This is problematical, because there are a bunch of known cases where facial recognition does not work as well on certain people (specifics omitted). So if we're going to start denying access to people or removing people, we better be jolly damned sure they're the right people.

We flew to Vancouver and back this spring and something similar was in place. We also had to do some pre-boarding program with Alaska Airlines where we uploaded a photograph of our passport, then there was a camera set up to photograph us as we boarded; passengers who hadn't done the ore-boarding program or who didn't want themselves photographed on boarding were called up to the customer service desk. Same boarding the cruise ship and disembarking from the cruise ship.

So one of the effects of semaglutide is that it slows down gastric emptying, by, like, a lot. But yeah, from the way my friends who are taking it describe it, it's kind of like a non-surgical lap band with mental effects as well. You don't WANT to eat as much, and if you DO eat what was previously a normal portion, you'll regret it. She would be eating like, half of a small sandwich.

I haven't tried them but I have two stories to share, probably not the level of detail you'd like. But first, I want to talk to you about GMP (good manufacturing practices) and the difference between an approved generic and a compounded pharmaceutical. The manufacturing process for a drug like Ozempic has all sorts of oversight and vetting: the active ingredient is manufactured under strict regulation, there's a chain of custody with appropriate controlled storage to get the API to the site where it's manufactured into the drug, there's strict oversight of the drug manufacture and the "fill" into the final saleable form of the drug. The final formulation must be tested for potency and efficacy. The same would be true of a generic version of an FDA-approved drug. There is streamlining for approval of generic drugs, but bottom line it has to be manufactured under GMP with manufacturing controls and tests for potency and efficacy. The GLP-1RA "ozempic similars" being offered online aren't "generic ozempic". They're compounded versions of the GLP-1RA peptide. What's the difference you ask? (Well, maybe you don't ask, but you absolutely should ask) Compounding pharmacies exist in a twilight zone of regulations between state (read variable) and federal (FDA) oversight, and if they're overseas, they bypass it altogether. You might recall a case in, hmm, 2012 where a huge outbreak of fungal meningitis causing 700+ illnesses and 76 deaths was traced to a single compounding pharmacy which did not have its ***** together as far as appropriate sterile manufacturing conditions. After that, new legislation passed by congress in 2013 sought to clarify responsibility for oversight between the Feds and the States, and most states beefed up their oversight and their legal standards. However, if you click on this Pew Charitable Trust report, and scroll down to the map of states, it makes the point pretty graphically that it's still a pastiche. And if you're buying something from overseas....All bets are off. Could be just as good or better, could be trouble. "“Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify the safety or effectiveness of compounded drugs,” the FDA stated in its warning" Would I use a compounded drug? Sure: 1) we use compounded topicals 2) there's a real need for compounded drugs for patients who (for example) are allergic to the formulation of the approved drug. Compounded drugs for individual patients can literally be life-savers. 3) risk vs. benefit: if I or a family member needed a life-saving medication that was only available to us as a compounded drug, I'd go for it (I'd read up on the facilities inspection history first). Personally, if I'm injecting something into my body that is not life-saving, I want it FDA approved (Europe, EMA). Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. ******************* Story. Friend 1. Type 2 diabetic with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. In her 70s. Tried metformin, no control. Ozempic: her appetite diminished, she lost a ton of weight, she looks great, she feels great. I would guess has lost 40 lbs, 4 clothing sizes. Has been on it for years. Friend 2. Type 2 diabetic. Fought hard to avoid injectable drug for control. Metformin, something else, diet, exercise, lost weight, blood sugar still out of control. Finally went on Ozempic after threats from endocrinologist about dire consequences if she didn't. Had trouble obtaining drug due to everyone and his friend Murgatroyd taking it for weight loss. First month, miserable. Nauseous, vomiting, little appetite. After that, it eased up but she still lacks appetite and eats tiny portions slowly or she'll regret it. She has also lost a ton of weight, looks great, feels great. I would say at least 25 lbs. Been on it about 15 months. The dose for people who want to lose weight is of course lower than the diabetic dose, so there may be less risk of unpleasant side effects. I kind of know where you're at, because not having to fight my appetite and being able to lose weight without strict attention to calorie counting and exercise sounds great. But I also know there's a reason there are shortages: it's because building extra manufacturing capacity under GMP takes time. Since both my friends who are on it are diabetic, they are on it for good. But I've heard the same - people go off it and revert to their prior habits and the weight comes back.

They need the expansion pack so they can have more than 4 guys play. That's the need for the expansion set, so you can have 5 or 6 people and still play Catan. We were gifted the Seafarer's Expansion with our first set. More than 6 and it's time to break out Captain's Sonar (Now there's a game, someone ought to send Josh a set.) I don't think they just play it at camp, they play it throughout the season. The OL of the GB Packers (at Rodgers peak) was said to be seriously addicted to Catan, to the point where new additions learned very quickly that they better Get with the Program and not be futzing about with the music or other party-type stuff

Eh. I don't think we heard the same thing about Dorsey - we did hear that he tended to get worked up on the sidelines and have the "holy spirit come out of him" (Mitch Morse description) and we all saw him smashing up the booth after the Dolphins Heat Stroke loss. That's not the same thing as having a lot of energy, running from group to group teaching and coaching, and yes, getting worked up during practice But there are other differences: -As @Buffalo716 has pointed out, in 2018 when Dorsey as QB coach and Mike Shula as OC were fired after 5 years in Carolina, no one in the NFL wanted him. Shula was hired by the Giants as OC and QB coach, and it's not uncommon that the new OC brings previous assistants with him. Either Shula didn't want to bring Dorsey, or the Giants didn't want him -The Bills did confirm him as OC pretty quickly after 2022 so he was under contract, but I don't remember him getting any nibbles as a potential HC in 2022 or as a potential OC in 2021 or earlier In contrast, 41 year old Bobby Babich had a lot of off-season interest and pretty clearly would have been s n a t c h ed up as a DC elsewhere if the Bills didn't promote him. I think those differences matter more than any similarities in fiery sideline demeanor

We've heard that Babich has "a lot of energy". That typically translates to a guy who is very fiery and worked up and who might get a bit "extra" on the sideline to the detriment of calmly dialing up the next play.

How much have you seen? Because I haven't heard much about DT rotations. Functionally, it really doesn't matter if he's 2nd team or 3rd though. It's a question of we'll likely only keep 4 DTs We aren't likely to cut our 3rd round draft pick Carter (though if he totally isn't 'getting it' he might develop a lingering injury that forces him onto IR). Oliver and DaQuan Jones are locks. I haven't heard a lot about Austin Johnson, but the Bills have a $4.7M dead cap hit if they cut him because they signed him with a $1.8M bonus vs Williams, who received a $15k signing bonus and is on a VSB contract. So Johnson has to be considered ahead of Williams for that 4th slot. Functionally, Williams is fighting to stay on the team, or at least be brought into training camp. So yeah, he's trying to get noticed and make a name for himself, and sometimes that leads to trying too hard. He was out with the ACL last season. Josh commented about him being extra sweaty with the ST work he's doing so I guess he's trying.

There's hard, and then there's "Guido Torpedo" hard. There's no reason to deliver a rib-cracking hit to your own guys. Take a bit off.

I think I have a pretty good stack of receipts on this: No, I do not think they've done enough to provide weapons to Josh Allen. I think they should have been drafting WR higher long before they did.