Eastport bills

I can’t dismiss your assessment about the overall viability of the roster because Josh makes everyone better. I hope Beane is saving his aggressive side for the draft.

Harris can’t stay on the field so far in his years with NE. Beane has not addressed the Edmunds departure and he hasn’t improved our talent level at receiver adequately. With RT and TE a need, are you confident we will improve our roster to compete with Cinn. and KC?

Beane is resolute about not getting burnt by an expensive signing after the devastating Miller injury. Now everyone and their mother acknowledges the need to surround Josh with better weapons at RB, wide receiver and O-line. When Brandon adds the Pats abandoned RB Harris and brings in the Dolphins backup and a guy who missed last season(Hardy), that makes some fans uneasy. If he had signed one of the FA upper tier LBs, that would be one thing but this guy thinks he can reinvent the wheel with cheap dumpster diving. I’ll keep an open mind but football analysts agree, the roster needs a few important upgrades.

The untenable cap situation we have is because Beane’s FA acquisitions have been overpaid middle tier lineman and depth players that haven’t made an impact. Miller was a good add but overpaying a 33 yr old with an injury history, is a long term damaging commitment with plenty of risk. He has holes in this roster that he freed up cap space to address, yet he whiffed on great LB candidates and either a #2 receiver or RT. If we’re going to make Josh’s life easier, we have to do better than these pedestrian acquisitions made by Beane. Look at the last two offseason moves made by Beech in KC. They’re paying Mahomes, Kelce, Brown and Jones but they consistently have better O-lines, D-lines, RBs and receivers. They draft better and evaluate FAs better.

No excuses for injuries. Miller’s coming off an ACL, Hyde.was out but the defense got pushed around. We brought in a decent safety but lost Edmunds. Look at Florio’s post on doing nothing with the cap space to make Josh’s life easier. With all the restructuring of contracts, we haven’t improved the defense or added meaningful offensive weapons. Do you think your knee jerk judgments on players and your blessings on contracts make it an honor to get a response from you. You’re just a guy that takes himself too seriously.

You’re diminishing Beane’s inability to get Wagner,David, Kendrick, Okereke, Singleton, Edwards or Bush for less. Why can’t you accept we couldn’t stop Miami twice (once with a 3rd string QB)Cinn. twice, and it is no guarantee we will address the LB void in the first 3 picks. I’m not saying his picks won’t be good, even later rounds, but I know how active Edmunds was and what kind of player is needed. That player is not on the roster. Ignorant is a bad choice of words, especially since we’re all just taking a position.

Should we care what the fans on the board agree with? Half of them wanted Edmunds traded for a late model blocking sled. Name for me the 2nd rounder, we drafted, that were productive (other than Edmunds) and were starters before they were dumped. The draft is a crapshoot, White is perfect for our situation. I can’t help the fact that Beane overpaid for many FAs and we’re in cap purgatory.

How many Devin Whites are there at pick 59 in this year’s draft? You self styled capologists are all worried about sacrificing a 2 rd rookie contract for an “overrated LB”. Half the 2rd draft choices never get to year 4. Again he’s overrated because New Era, who watched him in 3 games last year says so and who denigrates every personal and team statistic that says otherwise. Remember, on a team that won a SB in his 2nd year and was one play away from going to the NFC championship the next year with him having great years in both, he’s calling signals and is Captain.The Bills defense is overrated and in a make or break year, in Josh’s prime, we’re counting on the same D-line, without the Miller for who knows, and without Edmunds. You think this team as presently constructed can stop the new look AFCE and the 1st place finishers on our schedule?

OK, I know you’re a serious NFL observer, knowledgeable about 32 teams personnel, but what metric are you basing your criticism of White on. In 2021 they were 3rd in pass defense and last year when their defense was injured and disappointing, their pass defense was 8th. Don’t insult yourself comparing White to Preston Brown. How many playoff wins or SBs does Brown have? The reason I didn’t say a 3rd was because I don’t think a 3rd would get it done. Weren’t you one of the Edmunds killers last year as well?When this team struggles with pressuring the QB and run defense with the LB corp on the roster or a rookie, remember them not bringing in a veteran leader who has a body of work and has been winner. It didn’t have to be White but Edmunds made a difference and he has not been replaced.

Say what you want about his shortcomings, but the had 6 sacks, 73 solo tackles with 57 assisted. He’s the captain of a defense that had big time players who produced prior to last year. He’s a veteran presence alongside Milano and can be great in pressure packages. I would give a 2nd in this year’s draft and a conditional pick in 2024. Naturally, I would try to extend him.

Your assessment of White is not fair and based on a year where the whole Buc defense and team was disfunctional. How about his body of work for the rest of his career. You. want to dumpster dive to replace a very talented LB who covered up many deficiencies in our defense, it won’t result in us being better.

Devin White is the move that would make a huge difference for our defense. He would be like bringing in Cornelius Bennett for a LB needy team. He’s the perfect replacement for Edmunds. Beane needs to be bold this season. All these options like Klein, Dodson, Bernard, or a3rd rd draft choice don’t move the needle. The Bucs may not want to move him but if he wants out and Beane is aggressive enough, he could be had.

You might have a legitimate point if we didn’t see the problems referenced in the previous games vs Cinn, NE, and Miami twice.Why won’t you acknowledge that there were glaring weaknesses in our defense, allowing a 3rd string QB to have a chance to end our season with a good drive with their last possession. Did you think that our running attack with Josh being our best runner was sustainable? Did you think Dorsey’s big play offensive strategy was appropriate the way Cinn. defended us? How about our secondary that was giving up yardage and touchdowns at an alarming pace. It’s easy to try to explain away deficiencies by saying it was an aberration, but the brain trust knows the team from last year wasn’t good enough to go all the way. Now I believe the additions in FA will help but Edmunds must be replaced and let’s see how Miller comes back and when.

The team was clearly compromised by the incredible challenges and injuries. That doesn’t explain the obvious weaknesses that were exposed in that playoff game against Cinn.. The O-line was manhandled by their defensive front making Josh’s life miserable. The defensive front was ineffective both in pressuring Burrow and stopping the run. They almost looked undersized. The secondary looked a step slow and confused at times. The play calling by Dorsey was representative of a first year OC that was predictable and went for the big play rather than taking what the defense gave you. As much as the personnel changes will be needed to improve both units, Dorsey must evolve this year or get replaced. Sean, must be more proactive in putting his imprint on the team. Last season he deferred to Frazier and admitted that the defense was not physical or aggressive enough and the offense had no effective running attack, went away from Diggs and tried to force the home run ball to receivers who couldn’t separate. We have a great, young QB but last season’s team and coaching staff was not ready to win it all.

Sean should have imposed his will on the defense when Frazier was the DC. Frazier was all about speed and rushing 4. He wanted lighter and faster guys to play his bend don’t break defense. Sean said he preferred a more physically imposing, big play defense. This is the year Sean shows his value because his defense has been underachieving the last 3 playoff seasons.

Always appreciate the kind words. Perhaps your comparison to paying a generational 24 yr old franchise QB to a 33yr old edge rusher is silly and naive. QBs like Josh must be paid and in some cases fully guaranteed. They define your franchise as relevant for a decade. They justify building new stadiums.Paying an old edge rusher, with an injury history, 20 million a year for at least 4 years with what was guaranteed, is not a no brainer. Not only did his injury crush our chances last year, but our cap restrictions prevented bringing in difference makers this year and for years to come with Beane’s restructures kicking the can down the road. By the way, Miller even admitted he wanted to sign with Dallas for a lot less before Beane blew him away with the monster deal. The problem with 34 yr old edge rushers is after serious knee injuries, they tend not to recover fully especially with their get off. Let’s see if he’s ready to go in September.

This was a big whiff by Beane and our best option to replace Edmunds. Why wasn’t he more aggressive after losing David to the Bucs. Wagner was there for the taking. We needed a heady veteran leader for the LBs and young guys on defense. Why does Beane need valuable FAs to take less to play here. Wagner would have been affordable if we paid him what he got from the Seahawks.

I admit that signing Miller was a proactive attempt to fix our D-line and create a successful formula similar to the Rams championship winning defense. Everything looked good at the start of the season but the injury that effectively killed our season is a microcosm of the faulty reasoning that inspired the signing. A 33 year old D-lineman for 120 million over 6 years is risky to say the least. Injuries have to be factored in with older players and the damage to the cap flexibility makes keeping a roster competitive difficult. Other than franchise QBs, the contracts for 33 yr old edge rushers are never that much.

Exactly, then overpay like he did with Miller.

Hopefully one or two players on the defensive side can be that guy if Miller misses time. I guess Hyde and Poyer would be the logical candidates. Sean and the new DC have to put their imprint on a nastier edge. We have to play with a serious chip on our shoulder. Cinn., KC already think they have our number and the Jets and Dolphins will be playing at a fever pitch against us.

This nightmarish experience that Bills fans lived through against Cinn, calls into question how mentally tough our team is and what the value is of our coaching staff’s ability to prepare and motivate players. To be fair, the environment surrounding Hamlin’s injury was as challenging as any imaginable. Digg’s reaction to the look of resignation by players and the coaches ineffectual sideline demeanor, speaks volumes. The need for leadership within our core players is obvious. It’s Sean’s job to identify vocal leaders who can prevent letdowns. If they don’t exist, Beane should bring them in. It’s obvious Miller and Diggs are the emotional leaders. There must be others that step up if we expect to get over the hump.

Well said, let’s hope for the best. He seems like a guy who’s easy to root for.

Can’t disagree with the passionate overview of challenges GMs face in constructing and maintaining a “perennial SB contender”. Where I disagree is your comparison to the oversight we have in our jobs. Being in charge of a Pro sports franchise brings the demand of approval by your customers. Good GMs absorb negativity routinely. I have always been self employed because if my business fails my family suffers and I am my toughest critic. In capitalism, your job is merit based and if you perform you’ll be fine. If you can’t handle harsh words you always have the option to leave for greener pastures. Beane knows football is a bottom line business. The team’s record and trajectory determine keeping your job. Winning divisions and winning early playoff games are great for a long suffering franchise However when your acquisitions underachieve and you hamstring the franchise in a year when your losing productive starters, it’s concerning. We are chasing KC and Cinn.When do you as a member of a fan base stop accepting coming up short. We have arguably the best QB in football. Our division is adding on and getting better. Beane knows we are 0 for our existence winning SBs. I am the patriarch of 3 generations of devoted Bills fans. I want to experience my kids and grandkids seeing a championship. No more excuses.

You don’t need excuses like poor playoff results or a weak schedule or you didn’t like his hairstyle to just not like him. He’s not our problem anymore, but nationally you’re in the vast minority about his talent and value to any defense as exhibited by the monster contract. By the way, everyone sucked in this year’s playoffs, including Josh and the coaching staff.

You’re entitled to think of him as overrated, but when you have a top 3 defense by every metric, and he plays every down in a 2 LB set, and he brings down the biggest contract for an ILB in NFL history, you might be lugging around a deep seated bias. Let’s see who we replace with and how they do. He also plays through injuries, which is rare.