BigAl2526

Well, as an extension, the new deal kicks in after the 2023 season. In any case, the Bills obviously have a higher opinion of Oliver than lots of fans. Judging from the comments of the defensive line coach the other day, Oliver's need for grown is mostly in the mental aspect of the game, anticipation and decision making. Obviously, the Bills think he can make the jump in production.

I would never allow my Bills fandom to affect relationships with persons who are not fans or even fans of arch rivals. Nor would I allow it to affect decisions I make about people I hire for services or places I go to shop. You made the right decision as far as I'm concerned.

Now if he can just catch the ball. . . If memory serves, I believe Shakir was one of several Bills receivers who experienced a fairly high drop rate in 2022.

Play smarter and anticipate.

I remember reading his articles in the Times Herald when I was in college. I'm 71 now.

The more I hear about Shell, the more hopeful I'm becoming. He was regarded as a backup caliber offensive tackle when he came out of college, but has started 72 games and at least according to Miami's head coach, he has improved every year. McDaniel also says he can play left tackle. That may mean he is a legit swing tackle possibility if he does not beat out Brown. I still think the Bills would like Brown to win the starting RT job and Doyle to win the swing tackle job because they are both relatively young, athletic and on their rookie deals. Shell is a real good insurance policy in any case.

I have many reasons for optimism. My main reason for pessimism is that the Bills may not be able to adequately replace the unique combination of size and athleticism that they had at middle linebacker with Tremaine Edmunds. I'm a little concerned that if Von Miller is not 100% to start the season the defensive ends could struggle again to get pressure on opposing QBs. I think the offensive line is going to be fine, maybe not the best in the league, but better than they have been. I think the running game will be more dependable on offense. I think the offense is going to cut down on turnovers. Barring injury I think the defensive secondary is going to be much better. I expect marginal improvement from the interior defensive line in run stopping.

I think that while McDermott and Frazier start with the same basic defensive scheme, they have never been in philosophical lockstep with each other. Since McDermott hired him to coordinate the defense, and Frazier is certainly competent in doing that job, McDermott trusted him and allowed him to run the defense in the way that he (Frazier) wanted to run it. I would be shocked if the defense wasn't more aggressive.

A return to the Bills was one of several possibilities for Frazier. It is still a possibility until either the Bills or Frazier rule it out, but it may never have been the most likely possibility. Frazier has always hoped for another crack at a head coaching gig, and the Bills may well decide to go in a different direction anyway after McDermott tries his hand at calling defensive plays.

Should be some good competition at right offensive tackle. The knock on Shell is that he's not been able to play a full season for a while. I think he's pretty much limited to playing right tackle, which is a handicap if he's competing for a backup job. Lack of versatility is a huge disadvantage. Of course, Tommy Doyle lost his second season to a major injury. If Tommy Doyle has not been affected long term by his injury, I would guess he has the inside track in any competition because he's young and on a rookie deal. That depends on him making a pretty leap in development. Quessenberry and Shell by comparison represent known quantities. They are decent, but not great or even real good players. Spencer Brown is probably as big an unknown as Doyle. He wasn't very good last season, but Beane and the Bills believe it was due to the fact that he lost an off season to training and condition due to an injury suffered in 2021. Maybe he suffered lingering effects from the injury as well. I'm really hoping the Bills are right on Brown. I would much rather the competition involving Doyle, Quessenberry and Shell be for the backup role.

Definitely an area to focus on if he wants to improve his game.

I'll assume that Buffalo has enough on their plate marketing to southern Ontario and Toronto.

Receiving all-state recognition in your first year of playing football is pretty impressive. It underscores his natural athleticism and pass catching ability. That's the main take I get from this story.

I don't think so. Coffin corner kicks are punts that go out of bounds deep in the receiving team's territory. Do that on a kickoff, and the ball comes out to the 40. Teams could try to make more use of a squib kick. I don't think you can fair catch a ball that has hit the ground.

The first time the two of them have practiced together. Aside from the rust you would naturally expect, it does take a bit of time for a passer and a receiver to get accustomed to each other.

He has just about the same shape as Poona Ford. He's just 5 inches taller.

I figure fans can like whatever team they want, and change when they want. I've been a Bills fan since 1969, but I won't hate you if you became a Bills fan 2 years ago, were a Patriots fan for five years before that, and will become a New Orleans Saints fan next year.

I agree. A seventh WR is highly unlikely. If we're wrong, Shavers is the odds on favorite to be the guy with the growing interest in size. Shavers is supposed to be a special teams ace.

I don't know that I'd call Elam a breakout candidate. It's true that he started slow, but the finish that he had to his rookie season, including the playoffs put him on the expected trajectory. I think he'll start and I think he'll be solid. There are several other players that I'm hoping with break out, including Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver and Gabe Davis.

I'm holding out for the Bills to draft Robert Englund's nephew as a defensive end. We need a real monster in there. BTW, I think you were referring to the nephew of Jack Nicklaus.

When he left, I think his return was up in the air, but it's always been known that Frazier would like another chance to be a head coach in the NFL and would take it if he got the opportunity. I don't think things have materially changed. I think any one of three things could happen: 1. Frazier could return to Buffalo. 2. Frazier could get his long awaited chance at another head coaching gig. 3. Sean McDermott could decide that the Bills are better off without Frazier. Either he might continue to make calls on the defense or he might bring in a different defensive coordinator. There is also, I suppose, a fourth possible outcome. Maybe Leslie Frazier decides to hang it up. I don't think that is likely at this point, but you never know. Only one of the four alternate futures has Frazier coming back, so I guess you'd have to say the odds favor him not returning to the Bills.

Coming out of college, he was listed as 5'11" and 211 lbs. I've seen more recent listings saying he's 6'1" but I haven't seen a listing on his weight. Someone somewhere on the internet said he had "decent size" so I'm not sure what to believe. We'll see how the Bills list him when they update the roster.

It will be hard for Bowser to make the 53 man roster in September barring an injury to the guys who will likely be ahead of him in July. However, he has the kind of skill set that suggests he could make a contribution to the offense if he were given a chance. It will be fun to see what he can do in training camp and preseason to get past the veteran big backs (Harris and Murray).

Oliver is at the top of the list for me. He's been decent, but the Bills are going to want better than decent if they are going to give him a new contract.

I'm guessing that while Poona Ford can and will play some three tech, the Bills will mostly use him as a nose tackle/one technique. That would mean he'll be in a rotation with DaQuan Jones. Oliver will be in rotation at 3 tech and the Bills will have to figure out who the other three tech will be. Settle is like Ford, a one tech guy who can play some three tech. Phillips, despite his size, is pretty much limited to 3 tech. I don't see the Bills carrying 5 DTs on the 53 man roster, so either Settle or Phillips is likely to get released or traded.