notpolian

I called my best friend (who still lives in Buffalo) at halftime so we could complain about all the problems. ...Face it, the one big good thing was the long pass to Coleman in the first half, and it was a blown coverage... As soon as they started playing better we stayed on the phone for the entire second half to not break the spell. It worked.

Wilson almost makes Rodgers look good.

I agree he looked a little shaky on some catches, but the one he caught that was behind him was a professional catch.

Definitely two halves tale. First half getting utterly dominated at the LOS on offense and defense. Finally let up trying to run it up the gut against their big guys and got some turnovers. Coleman, Cooper, and Shakir can do some work if the OL can give Allen the time. Coleman looking better each week and I'm defrosting the crow for later consumption.

I did a little bit of reading on a Titans board. Most folks are quite happy to have Rudolph starting over Levis. It seems like Levis got the bulk of the practice reps through Thursday, so Rudolph had at least one full day. Rudolph had Tennessee's only win of the year in relief of Levis. I have the the misfortune of being in the Nashville home TV zone, so I see more Titans games than I'd care to. Levis is pretty bad. I was looking forward to him spraying a few passes into our zone coverage. Oh well.

Rudolph is less likely to throw at least one interception. They were starting Levis because they hadn't quite given up on him yet. Rudolph will be a bigger challenge. Hopefully only very slightly bigger.

I hear you. I hope you are right. I'm probably just taking out my frustration unfairly on Coleman that we didn't trade up or draft multiple WRs this year. It's too bad when a high draft pick has to learn such a basic skill to their position in the pros. (Maybe my ID should be flame bait 😁)

Don't agree completely. Scheme didn't help, but big gains are often on the LBs and safeties. Good teams have always been able to grind down the field on us. Now they can break big gains occasionally too.

Fair warning: I'm not Mr. Rose colored glasses. I look at Coleman as a first round pick, which isn't fair to him, he was a (very early) second rounder. I'm somewhere between disappointed and not surprised. He is what they said he was, although I don't see the great hands / contested catch savant enough. He has trouble getting open. This is a BIG problem for a pro receiver. I'm not an expert. But I don't buy the "he's a rookie excuses". WR translates pretty well from college to pros. WR is not QB, safety, OL, or LB. It's basically the same job with maybe some additional emphasis on blocking. If you look back on all the high level receivers Buffalo has drafted over the years (Butler, Reed {4th round}, Evans, Moulds, Watkins, I may be forgetting some and I'm ignoring the 60s and 70s), you could tell almost immediately "wow this guy is special". At least that's what my foggy memory is. I don't see that with Coleman. Contributor I hope. That's why Cooper really could be key for this year.

He plays aggressively, is fast, and can tackle. But he has a long way to go to make it near Milano. He just takes himself out of too many plays by being too aggressive or hitting the wrong gap. I'm still optimistic he's got a fair bit of room to improve.

I agree with many here that he may be worth $10-12M Leonard Floyd sort of money, but not $20M. Right now he is ok if he had an elite guy across from him. To me, next year you gotta take some more bites at the WR and DL apples early in the draft and hope you hit at least one pro bowler. Notice I said DL, if you had an elite interior guy it would help the ends too. All pro would be nice but my confidence is limited.

The Bills are going to have to earn it with the Titans defense IMO. Yeah they played some bad teams but there are worse defenses than TN. I like that our defense is healthier than it was. I also like the idea of some disguised coverages for Levis. Just gotta get a lead and not let them run it too much. At least Henry isn't there anymore.

Bills 26 Titans 24 Worst case if Levis doesn't turn it over.

I don't think Hamlin should be starting in the NFL. But given the choice between Hamlin and Bishop right now, Hamlin gives us a better chance to win. Bishop is just not ready at a difficult position after missing so much training camp. I feel confident he'll be starting by no later than next year. Elam is a bust, especially as a first round pick.

I remember the thic dude at Missouri. He can play. Don't forget that the hash marks are farther apart in college. So actually kicking can be harder there than in the pros (college tees and wider goalposts are long gone too).

I could go on and on about this topic for hours. The early 90s Bills were LOADED with talent. I mean besides the 4 you mentioned they had Lofton, Beebe (who won it with GB), an OL described by opponents as a Machine (Hull was the best of a good group). On defense Wright and Hansen were good and Bennett was a disruptor, Talley, Odomes, Henry, there are more. Including a special teamer that should be in the HOF and a little late, a great kicker. To me the problem was leadership and coaching. The players were in it too much for themselves and Levy and co. could be outcoached. Whatever I can't change the past. 🥴

We tried the "we are just one player away" move with Von Miller. Figure out how to draft a game changer DL. The difference between the Bills and KC is Mahomes, Reid, Kelce, Jones and Spagnolo. Sorry but those 3 players and 2 coaches are much better than ours. I know people will flame about Allen but that's my opinion.

I assume this has been covered already, but just a reminder that In his first game with the Cowboys on November 5, 2018, Cooper led the team with five receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. I'm not expecting an immediate offensive explosion, but production is very much possible.

At least IMO, this is a deal about 2024. He will make a difference soon. At worst he will get up to speed over the bye. Didn't he go to Dallas and immediately produce?

To me, the three big things are: 1. Cooper is a very big upgrade from any of our existing "boundary" receivers. He should make a difference. Maybe he can even mentor Coleman some. 2. The money works out very well this year. 3. I'm honestly surprised Beane made the deal. I sorta thought the regime looked at this as somewhat of a throwaway year given what they had at WR. I'm very glad to be wrong.

I was thinking this very same thought the other day whilst daydreaming about Andre Reed. The slant is really effective against some defenses. I don't know how many TDs Reed had with a slant but it had to be a lot. Especially with the way WRs are protected these days I'm surprised it's not run more. Back then you could be mortally wounded and it was a legal hit.

Right. He'll definitely be active. Audibles and hot routes will be an issue for a little while I'd think. But he's a veteran so it shouldn't take too long.

Thanks. Looks even better. These days an $800k cap hit may be less than roundoff error. As for who starts, Hollins is almost certainly a better blocker than Coleman is right now. Coleman might have better hands and maybe better quickness. I don't think Hollins can do much on the long ball. There is a role for both IMO, but not at the same time. This will definitely help our offense, having both Coleman and Hollins on the field is like having two non-shooters on the floor in the NBA. It messes up the spacing and allows the defense to clog the paint.

Just catch the 1-3 opportunities Levis will give you for an interception and things will be fine this week. The Bills will be happy to finally have a home game. I'm never overly optimistic but this week I'm not worried.

So I apologize, been out of pocket all day. I'm sure this has already been done, but what is the final tally including Diggs and Cooper trades going forward/ignoring 2024 pick to Texans? Out the door MVS - big positive Diggs 2025 5th round pick to Texans 2025 3rd round pick to Cleveland 2026 7th round pick to Cleveland In the Door 2025 2nd round Vikings pick (from Texans) 2026 7th round pick from Cleveland Amari Cooper Is that right? Basically moving up from late 3rd to late 2nd next year, giving up a 5th next year and exchanging Diggs for Cooper. I'm good with that. Cooper's contract is perfect for this year. I'm unconcerned with Cooper's contract wherever he plays next year - deal with next year next year.