JohnC

The Bills have so many needs that I don't see them using a second round pick or higher on a back. Even it the Bills do trade McCoy and get a second (a deal I would make) those picks higher round picks will be used for the DL, OL and receiver positions. It seems to me that a good back can be had in the third round. That's the direction I would prefer to take.

I'm not criticizing you or K-9 for your quick responses after watching the Bruins game. Getting mad about that dud game was a very understandable response. I had the same reaction, as did the fans at the game. The only thing redeeming about that game was watching Brad Marchand play an exceptional game. That little priiick was a dynamo. However, hockey has it's own unique psychology revolving around desperate situations. The Bruins in a prior game got out-classed and embarrassed by the Capitals who exploded with goals. So it's not surprising that in the next game the Bruins were going to play a shut-down style of game that would suffocate the less experienced and talented team and frustrate the paying customers. What hasn't gotten much attention regarding this team is that our GM made a conscious decision to upgrade our third and forth lines. They certainly are not going to be prolific scoring lines but they will be contributing lines. That sure is an upgrade from the previous dead beat lines. The Sabres have a GM who is top shelf, especially compared to Murray who was full of talk and action without much thought. If you look at what Botterill has accomplished this offseason he has upgraded the talent without mortgaging our future. In fact, he did the opposite. He acquired talent and added future assets so the pipeline is full. Last year, the Sabres were the worst team in hockey. This year my belief is that this is a fringe wild-card contending team. That's a tremendous step forward.

I'm not a hometown zealot or a homer. What is evident to me is that the GM has done a good job in the offseason in remaking the roster not only from a talent standpoint but also from a personality standpoint. It's understandable why a Sabre fan, or a Buffalo fan for that matter, to be skeptical because of the long term malaise of the hometown teams. But there is a more determined attitude on this hockey team compared to what has existed in the past number of years. In the end talent is the deciding factor. This team has more talent than what has preceded it. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Few people are going to have a coronation celebration for Housley. The central problem with Housley's first year was that it lacked talent and the mix was not good. The style of play that he espoused was never going to be attained with last year's group. He wanted the unit on the ice all moving forward at the same time. His approach was predicated on speed and a defense that was mobile. Without question the team speed is significantly improved and the passing is better. The bottom line is that there is more talent on the roster. And not only are our top two lines better but the third and fourth lines are making contributions (so far). Those lower lines last year were contributing nothing. I'm not going to get carried away at this early stage because Hutton and his sterling play were the main reasons why this team has won two out of three games. However, although it is very early you have to be happy with this invigorated roster and energetic play so far.

I'll take Clement and a second or third. This would be a good situation for McCoy to go to.

The discussion of whether Benjamin is a #1 receiver like arguing whether Forrest Gump is a MENSA member. It is an extreme stretch. The more realistic argument is whether Benjamin is a #2 receiver. Even with the lower standard he doesn' qualify to meet that benchmark. Usually, #2 receivers are high volume receivers who don't often make the big plays. He certainly doesn't even fall in that category. Because of our qb play it is going to bet tough for any of our receivers to attain good numbers. But what is starkly apparent is that he has no wiggle ability and just can't get open. As a receiver that is a fatal flaw regardless who is throwing to him.

Settle down! What's apparent at this early stage is that this is a faster team and a grittier team. They battle and contest for the puck. And has been said by many a more north/south team compared to a dithering team that is slow to step up. And when all is said and done: Goal tending matters! There was a big shakeup to the roster. The most important acquisition was Hutton. Again, it's still early and the sample size is small. But the eye test tells you that this is a much better mix of players.

Hutton is the the safety valve player so far in this very early season. As it was repeatedly said by Biron that this team battles on the boards. The Sabres are playing a tight game in which the players quickly close out when the other team gets the puck (someone else smartly made this point). What is a noticeable difference from this year's team compared to previous years is that this is a faster team. The hockey fans really deserve some early success and some hope for the season.

There was little progression to the experienced qb's game who was in the league for more than a half dozen years. Although Allen is very raw I can see some progression to his game. With Taylor what you see is what you get. If you don't believe me just ask the Browns about him.

Although his passing numbers are not sterling one area where there is a noticeable improvement is his pocket presence. The only way to get that feel for the pressure to to experience it. JA still has trouble with those short dump off passes and he can't consistently cleanly throw to the back or receiver in stride. But that is also another example where the only remedy is to play and gain experience. Because of his makeup where the stage isn't too big for him I'm excited about the future. I couldn't say that about the previous qbs.

No question that the game plan for Josh the rookie is going to be very simple. That shouldn't be surprising. But even with a more experienced qb because of the caliber of the OL and especially the receiving corps the game plan is still going to be relatively simple because of their inadequacies. When your receivers on quick hitting pass plays are blanketed you know that your play book and passing game is going to be very abridged.

He can bicker with the best of them.

Obviously, McDermott's background is on the defensive side of the ball. What he is good at is getting the right players and fitting them together. The Poyer, Hyde, drafting of White, Milano, Edmunds all demonstrate that. It's not just collecting talent as it is getting players to play within their roles.

I made a special effort to watch Star because he seems to be an invisible player. There is a reason for his invisibility: he is swallowing up two defenders and holding up the middle of the line. He's Edmond's best friend by keeping blockers off of him and allowing him to run to the ball. Star's role is relatively simple: Occupy blockers and hold the line of scrimmage. It's not a role easily measured by stats. It's a tough role and a critical role. The bottom line is that he was a good pickup.

The Skinner dive that you alluded to was actually Skinner taking the Ranger play down. Skinner should have been called for the penalty. The Ranger player was infuriated----and he should have been. It's obvious that this isn't a prolific scoring team, especially by today's NHL standards. But compared to last year's impotency this roster has the ability to step up. The best that we can hope for is that the scoring will be spread out to compensate for the lack of sharp shooters. In the Ranger game Dahlin played like a conservative and mature defenseman playing an efficient game. I'm hoping that once he gets comfortable he will cut loose and play a more creative and adventurous style that he is capable of.

A version of this issue has been hashed and rehashed so I apologize for another rehashing. It was utterly remarkable that last year's stripped down team made the playoffs. It was a testament to the HC and the players buying in to what he was espousing. Our defense is playing well. Yet it is far from being a finished product. As you noted our offense is like a castrated cowboy entering a whorehouse. It is not going to be productive no matter how much desire there is to act. Next year, with a wise use of the cap availability and with our full complement of picks (regardless of what Gunner says I'm hoping to trade down and get more picks} I'm counting on an infusion of talent to allow this team to move up the ranks. This is an obvious rebuild job. As far as I'm concerned we are on schedule. For how McBeane wanted to construct this roster and organization this was never going to be a quick fix job. You don't have to agree with all the moves but at least there is a rationale behind most of decisions.

i'm not sure how much he uses analytics to make decisions. Now a days all teams use the computer and stats to come up with numbers. But analytics is not especially useful when your team lacks talent compared to the opposition. The eye test is easy when you are comparing your roster with other rosters. When your five on five is one of the lowest in the league then you don't have to delve into the numbers as to why. When your third and fourth lines hardly contribute any goals then you don't have to delve into the reasons why. When you are not good enough your eyes will tell you so. From what I gather Housley's system is not overly complicated. He wants a north/south game with the defensemen quickly moving the puck out of their zone. He wants a roster that has good overall speed. Last year's roster was in general slow and sluggish. There were no players on Jack's line that could keep up with him. Sheary and Skinner bring speed and an ability to finish. Overall, because of Sheary and Skinner we have goal scorers that can convert. And what Botterill did this offseason is upgrade the third and fourth line so that at least they can contribute a little bit, which is much more than before. Or another way of looking at it is broaden the talent level.

When your passing game is rudimentary at best and your offense centers around the running game this complimentary back is not overpaid. I'm not sure if he got a bonus because if not then it is structured as a one year deal. This was a good pickup from what he adds to our basic offense. And considering that it was also a reasonable value addition.

I don't recall many people hating the pickup. He's certainly not in his prime but he serves a very useful role of being in a tough inside runner tough situations. He's the type of rugged player you want on your roster because he is a no frills player who understands his role but more importantly fulfills his role.

The fandom has gotten so beaten down that for some a victory from exceptional goaltending is tainted. It makes no freaking sense! When we lose because of inconsistent goaltending there are lamentations; when we win because of consistent goaltending the lamentations continue. Last year, the wins were rare. We were both the worst team and most boring team in the league. I'll be damned if I am going to complain about a win in the second game of the season. What makes this twisted thinking more perplexing is that in this victory, compared to the dud first game, the Sabres played hard and with heart from the first puck drop to when the horn sounded.

You are mixing up the scoring plays. Mittlestadt made the play along the boards that went to Risto and then Sheary. The play I'm referring to went from Jack to Reinhart to a cross pass to Sheary. https://www.nhl.com/video/shearys-second-ppg-of-the-game/t-299944508/c-61649303

I don't understand your comment that Housley was out-coached by the other coach? I'm not saying that Housley out-smarted the other coach because I don't think that is an accurate takeaway from this game. This was not a very complicated game. Two teams battled with both goalies being the instrumental players for their respective team. The Sabres were the worst team in the league last year. In my opinion they will move up the ranks to the middle of the pack and be a fringe playoff team. That is a quantum leap forward. Once the new players get more comfortable with their line-mates and it is better determined who plays with who there will be less scrambling and more coherent play. One of my takeaways from this game that gets me excited is that Dahlin was not a standout but he played a very mature game. Once he gets comfortable his dynamism will be on display. Are you aware that this is only the second game? I agree with you that he played with the puck too much but it was done in his attempt to create something when not much was there to work with. Because he handled the puck along the boards he actually did create a play that resulted in a pass to Reinhart who made a beautiful cross pass to Sheary for a goal. So without question Eichel's play was decisive in the win. There has been a lot of changes to the roster. It's early in the season and players are trying to figure out each other and develop some chemistry. It's not instantly created. It takes a little time. Let's be reasonable here.

I thought Vesey played well. You must have watched a different game than I did to conclude that he outplayed Jack. If I have a criticism of Jack in the first two games it's that he is over passing trying to get his mates involved.

Considering where we are with the rebuild I would not be reluctant to trade McCoy to a playoff contending team for a third round pick. Then I would hope that with our added picks from a trade down and wise use of our cap space the Bills in one offseason can have major boost of talent added.

Don't kid yourself there are plenty of people who are not only open about their ugly views but are proud of it.