JohnC

I'm not an unabashed fan of Saban mostly because of his personality. But to his credit although he has been tremendously successful what has really impressed me about the coach who I thought was old school was his willingness to grow. That has been exhibited in him going out and finding outsiders who could run a more modern and less conservative offense that is more suitable to the changing nature of college football. I was stunned when he brought in Kiffin and empowered hm (for the most part and sometimes reluctantly) to call the plays. There is no doubt that the immature and mercurial Kiffin was not his type of guy. But the coach being open to what the younger coach could offer is a testament to Saban's desire to keep learning and adding to his game.

You nailed it about the recruiting. He is tapped in to the local high school football scene. The local football market is a rich target area that other schools have raided. If he can keep some of the A-list players home then the staggering program can be stabilized. The hope is then that at the minimum it can compete with the big boys in the conference. As you well know Haskins was a Maryland commit until the coach he committed to was dismissed. Their loss was your gain.

What was the ratio of Leaf fans to Sabre fans. It was difficult to tell from TV. It seemed as if there were a lot of Leaf fans at the game?

Great game. Toronto is loaded with skill and scorers. The Sabres went toe to toe. Risto is getting more active on the offensive side of the puck. I thought he played very well. I'm really impressed with Pilot. He's not going down. Ullmark played well. Matthews is unbelievably accurate with his shot. Dahlin is getting better and better. And he is barely scratching his potential. The loss was disappointing but how can you not be optimistic about the Sabres. My concern is that we are not getting secondary scoring. The first line needs some help.

Gunner, Stop with this campaign of ejection. You know very well that Murphy is going to be back next year. He will come back healthy and ready to be a solid contributor. McDermott likes to rotate his defensive linemen. He will be in the rotation. That might irk you but it doesn't the HC and GM who went out and got him. From a variety of standpoints this is a classic McDermott type of guy.

Good post. I agree with your position. I don't see this regime going out and spending a disproportionate amount of their cap for a big time player such as Julio Jones. From how they have operated my sense is that they would prefer spreading the cap money around to in general bolster the roster. This regime's two drafts have been solid. Their inclination is to follow the same route of emphasizing the draft for player acquisition and using their cap $$$ for multiple mid-level pickups rather than paying big bucks for a big time player or two. I agree with this approach. While some people make the judgment that this approach isn't working my judgment is the opposite. I would avoid the big splash for the more numerous little splashes.

Now that you translated your original post I will respond that I still disagree with you. If they want to get a dynamic pass rusher then they should draft one because it is difficult to get that caliber of player from free agency or through a trade. When the Bills signed Murphy they knew exactly what type of player they were acquiring. And that's exactly what they got.

When I learn gibberish I will be able to translate gibberish and respond to you.

I doubt that McBeane are going to jettison Murphy. He fits their profile in the type of players he wants on their roster. The player they got is exactly the player they sought and signed last year. He has been plagued with injuries that has curtailed his production but as of late he has played to the level that he was expected to play at. Both Murphy and Lawson are similar in that neither is a dynamic pass rusher. Rotating them and sometimes moving Lawson or Murphy to the interior in pass rushing situations can add to their cost/benefit. If this team wants to add a more dynamic rusher to the mix then McBeane will have to do it with a high pick in this draft. Not every player is going to be in the elite category. Having solid players is not something to lament about; it is something to be happy about.

We have that type of middling players in Sobotka and Bergland. I'm not criticizing their play because they are useful filler type players who don't necessarily help you yet they don't hurt you. My preference is to ride with the younger players such as Mittelstadt and Tage and hope that the added playing time will accelerate their development. My worry is that they will hit the proverbial wall sometime in this grinding season. Where I somewhat disagree with you is that I believe that this roster as this is presenty constituted is good enough to make the playoffs this year. Let's put things in perspective. The Sabres were the worst team in the league last year. We have impressively moved up the ranks in one season. Be patient and trust the process.

I don't see this regime giving up substantial assets to get the center that you are seeking. Botterill is building a contender. It's not about the now as it is the near future. Maybe Nylander will be moving up soon?

When you go against a more talented team the issue sometimes isn't so much what you should do as it is that they are preventing you from doing what you want to do. The Preds were impressive in swarming and clogging up the middle. The better option was to dump the puck and chase. On the other hand they were still in better position to retrieve the puck. In other words not only was option A stymied so was option B. The better and deeper team out talented the less talented and thinner team. It's not surprising that teams are going to make a concerted effort to jam our prolific first line. Saying that there is a need for secondary scoring is obvious. The problem is that the secondary scorers simply don't have enough ammo to take the pressure off of the first line.

I want Daboll to stay as our OC. That is mostly due to wanting some continuity instead of the constant churning of coaches and systems. In reality, what would be his appeal for any HC job at this point? I just don't see what on his resume makes him such an appealing candidate. Right now he is in a good situation where he is working with a young and talented qb and expectedly an upgraded offensive unit. Rodgers is a HOF qb and a qb with his own thoughts on running an offense. Is he going to be as receptive to Daboll's coaching as Allen would be? Daboll coaching the Packers is a long shot bet that I wouldn't waste ann leftover bitcoins to bet on.

This is a WGR clip of Housley's post game comments. It's a three minute clip. Everything you said was said by Housley. He makes the point, as you do, that if you can't carry the puck in then use a different tactic such as dump and chase to get into the offensive zone. He was also complimentary of Pilut. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/12-03-phil-housley-post-game

Our goal tending is keeping us in every game. Pilut is not going back down. He plays as if he has been in the league for a long time. He is a very composed player. The Predators are cup contenders. They swarm you when you have the puck. Against Tampa and Predators it is clear that we are a notch lower. But the Sabres to their credit constantly battle to keep the game in play. The big takeaway for me in this game is the good play of Pilut. Adding another talent is moving forward.

The Colts used the sixth pick in the draft to select Quenton Nelson, a guard from Notre Dame. He has undoubtedly helped to upgrade what was once an ineffective OL that has gotten Andrew Luck battered. You may be surprised but I am not that using a high pick on a lineman can contribute to not onlyupgrading the OL but also enhancing the talents of your qb. Very often conventional thinking is not very sound thinking. In this case situational thinking is the proper way to look at this drafting decision by the Colts. The same logic should apply to the Bills.

Don't dismiss the utility of cheerios soaked in pee. The pee soaked oats not only ad nutritional value but it also fortifies one's immune system. However, the downside to this product is that it can make you look very yellow. It has to be acknowledged that the jaundiced look is not very appealing to others.

I'm more interested in dramatically upgrading the OL than in opening the vault for LeVeon Bell. If you significantly upgrade the line up uplift this stuck offense. I also agree with you that we need backs who have fresher legs. That's where I am at.

Whether or not he is labeled as a #1 or #2 receiver isn't important. What's more important is having a collection of receivers whose individual talents enhance and reinforce the unit. A speed receiver who makes the defense back-up would make Zay Jones more effective. Zay Jones making a lot of inside and short and medium range receptions makes the speed wide-out/s more effective. If you add a TE threat that also makes the other receivers and unit in general better. In addition, in some games the so-called #2 receiver becomes the primary receiver. And in other games the #1 receiver becomes the primary receiver. And then there are games where the TE is the dominant receiver. The point is that whatever a receiver's role is it is an important role regardless what the role designation is.

I would love to get Marquise Brown. He certainly would enhance the receiver group. As far as Zay goes I believe he can be a high volume receiver. But I don't see him as being an authentic caliber #1 receiver. That's not a knock on him. I just don't see him possessing the explosiveness and big play ability that a #1 receiver usually has.

What many critics are not recognizing is that he is playing on an offense whose OL and running game is less than sub par. With a better running game there will be a lot less pressure on him. His play action passes would certainly be more effective with a more balanced offense. It's a mistake to judge his play with a snap shot lens. The more accurate way to evaluate him should be grounded on the issue of whether he is getting better. Is his recognition, accuracy and comfort in the pocket getting better.? I would say yes. Whether the Bills win or lose the most important thing is that Allen is getting the playing time that will accelerate his development. Because he has gone through the trials and tribulations of on field experience his off season preparation should be enhanced. I'm stoked about him!

I'm not going to get carried away and anoint him as an elite receiver. But he is capable of being a good receiver. He's not a number one receiver. But that doesn't mean that he can't be an important contributor in the passing game. His rookie year was problematic. But let's remember it was his rookie year. This year, it can't be denied that he has shown flashes of ability to play up to his second round status. I'm happy with him and even more optimistic about his future. He will never be a dynamic receiver but he can be a good receiver.

Getting a good time end from the draft would be very appealing. However, it would be a mistake to use one of our top two or even three picks for one because of our other priority needs. This team desperately needs offensive linemen and receivers (wideouts). If you asked me right now who would be my ideal first pick I would say it is OT Jonah Williams. From what I have seen of him he is good enough and polished enough to be an immediate starter. I was watching him in the Georgia game and was impressed with his nimble footwork and intelligence. On one play there was a stunt and he seamlessly slid off his man to pick up the wider incoming rusher. He's got it all.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/fau-owls/fl-sp-boca-raton-bowl-matchup-20181202-story.html

Now that Zay Jones is living up to his draft status the rating of this regime's two drafts appear to be very solid. There is no dud selection with any of our first three picks in the two drafts with many solid pickups in the lower rounds.In the next draft we have a full complement of picks. If the picks match the previous two years of selections the roster should be bolstered with the franchise continuing to move in the right direction.