dave mcbride

I know, I know, guys like him are hard to find. But a RB who is both a talented runner and an excellent receiver out of the backfield would take the Bills' passing game to an even higher level (not to mention the running game). The Bills' passing game is awesome, but it's awfully reliant on WRs. Is there anyone with a Kamara profile in this year's draft? If not, Kenyon Drake--a free agent who turns 27 today--would be my target. He's not Kamara, but his game is similar, and he probably has 2-3 good years left in him.

As I said, he refused to take a lot of easy gainers throughout the game. Josh didn't play well on Sunday night, especially with regard to decision making. He'll get better.

I think that sounds wise. He is always a guy who has played a lot of snaps, by the way. Just look at this season: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HughJe99.htm

Disagree, Hap -- 22 percent is by far and away the fewest snaps he played all season. Check out the offensive snap count percentage to the right in the game logs: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DaviGa01.htm.

Good, concise piece. JW is clued in.

That works against an early-to-mid career Fitzpatrick, who was still basically a backup masquerading as a starter. Against Brady and a cast of elite receivers? No.

My one caveat is that you have to be more patient with young players. Edmunds is just 22 still, and Knox is a young 24. Both are extremely talented and way above average with regard to 40 times relative to their positions and size. NFL coaching is all about extracting the best out of raw, elite talent, and both of those guys are very talented physically.

He played great vs. Baltimore. Don't forget that.

The picks are slightly overrated. The one near the end zone was really bad, but the other two were effectively punts. Arians is a believer in Mike Martz, who always downplayed deep INTs thrown from your own end to the other end as risks worth making because the penalty for doing so was negligible.

All true. But as I was watching that, I immediately thought that if anyone gets singled (which I thought would never happen), Brady would attack. So predictable. Basically you play coverage and concede the 45 yard FG attempt there. That was obvious.

Yikes — these are extremely tough words about Pettine from LaFleur: https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/01/25/mike-pettine-under-fire-after-bucs-touchdown-before-halftime/

Excellent post, esp re Epenesa, but Moss looks like a pretty good NFL back to me. If I’m right (we’ll see), he’s good value for a third rounder. He needs to be paired with a faster back, however.

A fact: In the postseason, Allen is 0-2 on the road, and 2-0 at home. McDermott is 0-3 and 2-0.

Well, he was hurt.

I expect KC to blow out Tampa, and if I’m right, this narrative will decline. We shall see.

Allen absolutely threw it at the right guy’s face — at a serial cheap shot artist obviously trying to injure him in garbage time. Please.

Fantastic. Thanks.

You actually can compare them. One was playing with turf toe — a serious injury because it’s a torn ligament — and the other wasn’t, yet Mahomes outplayed his opponent. Allen is a terrific player — I love him — but Mahomes is another stratosphere.

He threw it at Okafor, who delivered two obvious cheap shots to allen over the final two series. On that second play (the one under discussion), the whistle had CLEARLY been blown, and 1.5 seconds later, okafor comes in with a late cheap shot. This is not actually arguable given the previous play (arguably an attempt to injure), so don’t argue. 🙂

Agreed, but I'd pick up the option and give him two more years. If he isn't going to pan out, you'll know by then.

That I don't know. He does call the defense at this point, and that's something to consider. It's usually the MLB's job. It's not like the Bills defense is terrible. Overall, it was average this year after a couple of seasons of being a lot better. I think that decline and yesterday's loss is understandably coloring people's perspectives right now.

I thought he played extremely well vs. Baltimore and was basically pretty effective from the SF game onward. My view of him is that he's still very young -- 22 years old, for God's sake! -- and physically very talented. Fans have to be patient with players. Let them develop. I am in no way saying he was anything close to elite this year, but factor in his age and experience when making assessments. One thing I've become focused on is the importance of coaching up rare, elite physical talent. It can take time, but the payoff can be huge. I just feel like a guy that size who runs a 4.54 40 is someone you shouldn't make a final judgment on, especially since he's just 22.

I felt that by the end of the season Leonard Williams was one of the 2 or 3 best interior linemen in the league -- just dominating. Apparently, the Giants have no intention of letting him walk.

He remains better than average at his position according to the numbers (PFF etc.). The drop-off is likely to be steep unless they get a stud in the first round. I don't want to spend a first or second round pick on a safety. Keep him.

He was bad in the first half of the season because he was literally playing injured. Factor that in.