JohnC

What happened to RG John Miller? I thought he was going to be a mainstay player and play a position that we didn't have to worry about for a long time. Was it coaching, changing of schemes or just over-rating a player. And what are the prospects of Teller starting and being effective? If Miller can be salvaged and Teller slotted in then the overhaul of the line would be less of a task, assuming a tackle such as Cajuste or Jonah Williams can be added to the mix. I also contend that getting a tough between the tackle runner through free agency or the draft should be a priority. Recently a NFL analyst stated on the radio that the most important coaching job on a team was the OL coach. I believe that We have to get this staffing position right.

If the Chargers would have changed their defense to fewer DBs BB would have altered the offense to take advantage of it. I'm sure the Chargers didn't believe that the Pats OL could have so easily handled their DL. The Pats won at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in this game. I've seen the Pats play less than stellar on both sides of the line this season. When the playoffs start their coaching usually outshines the opposition coaching.

Not sure how much credibility there is to this reporting about AB's interest in the 49ers. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/steelers/2019/01/14/antonio-brown-pittsburgh-steelers-jerry-rice-niners/2572232002/

I just want you to know that I wish you nothing but the best from a health standpoint. I consider you to be one of the premier posters here when commenting on evaluating college prospects and pro players.

The players you referenced in your post and the evaluations you made about them are very similar to how I would evaluate them. On the other hand you seem very pessimistic about the future while I take a more positive view. I want to make the playoffs this year. But I'm not sure it is attainable? Possible? Whereas I see a quantum leap forward from last year others don't see it. I believe in Botterill and his blueprint. Taking a not too distant longer view I am more positive than many here. With respect to the highlighted segment I absolutely agree that the roster is very thin. I don't understand why anyone who has read my posts would think otherwise.

You and I are inhabiting two different universes. What you see is not what I see; what I see is not what you see. How you can not acknowledge the significant improvement from this year's team compared to last year's team is very mystifying. Last year's team was a hollow team that deserved it's bottom ranking. The Sabres were in a season long hunt for the first pick in the draft because we were more comparable to an average AHL than a below average NHL team. Although I consider this team much better than last year's team this team is far from being a complete team. Our defensive corps is dramatically better with the addition of Dahlin, a healthy Bogo and McCabe and the addition of Pilut. Our goaltending has been consistently solid all year long. That is an upgrade from the erratic play of Lehner. With the addition of Skinner to the Jack line with Reinhart we have an authentic first line. But our second line has not reached a legitimate second line status. The primary reason is that we traded ROR, a second line center, for in reality future considerations. I believe that Mittelstadt and Tage and Nylander will be second line players but not right now. The brain trust for this franchise prefers investing/developing for the future rather than seek more immediate relief. What I have seen from this team is that it plays consistently hard. But they have fallen short for the simple reason that they aren't good enough right now. They simply don't have enough talent on the roster right now. You may believe that there are some miraculous trade deals that will elevate this team but I don't see those deals materializing on the horizon. As I have frequently stated I believe that the Sabres will be in a wild-card contention right up to the end of the season. But it is not a guaranteed outcome mainly because we don't have enough talent to separate us from the other contending teams. Where you and I diverge is that I don't believe this team as currently constituted has as much talent as you believes it has. Botterill has been steadfast and explicit in his numerous proclamations on this issue that he is not looking for short term solutions. He has stated that he believes very much in developing the young guys, and is willing to be patient. You disagree with the Botterill big picture perspective while I strongly agree with it. As far as your non-sequitur point and comparison between Tyrod and EJ you have me stumped.

You stick with your running back draft priority and I will stick with my OL priority in this draft. For us, in this draft, the line position should take preference over the back preference. Maybe not to you but to me it is obvious and basic.

Our most valuable asset is our young qb. The state of our line is untenable. We can get a good RB with another pick. The priority for this offseason is to dramatically upgrade the line.

I suggest you more carefully reread what I wrote. I said considering how bad our current OL is I would take the elite LT over the elite running back prospect. Whether the back is at his prime or not his talents won't be actualized playing behind such a mediocre line that we had last year. In addition, if you want your qb to thrive and survive you need to have a quality line.

For the Bills with the current decrepit state of our OL? Of course I would take a premier LT with the ability to get a good back with another pick. Whether you are talking about AP in his prime or decline having a good line allows his talents to be exhibited.

I'm not mischaracterizing your position. I know exactly what it is. It is your position that I strenuously disagree with. If you want to characterize the LT position as part of being an ensemble I'm not going to argue with that although there are blockers who are good enough to go one on one against the best rushers without aid from other blockers. That makes a big difference. And Thomas was that type of player. The fallacy of your position is that all positions are part of an ensemble in that if the other parts don't fulfill their roles they are diminished as players. This is football, a team sport, and not boxing. The core of my disagreement here is that I believe the LT position is an important position. You think much less so. There are others who think it is a waste of time to highly draft CBs. I also believe that it is an important position. We simply have a fundamental disagreement on this issue that won't be reconciled. What I can tell you is that if the Bills were fortunate enough to draft a LT almost as good as Thomas I would be ecstatic while you would probably be morose.

Of course your position is hard to understand because it makes little sense. The player the Browns selected turned out to be a perennial all-star. How is that a bad pick? He didn't make a tremendous difference through no fault of his own. When you play for a historically dysfunctional organization no one player is going to significantly affect the fortunes of such a grotesque organization. Even a good qb is going to be drowned out in such a swamp of organizational chaos. The fact that Thomas was able to be recognized throughout his career as one of the best OTs in the game while playing for such a iconoclastically bad franchise demonstrates how good a player he was. If the Bills could draft an offensive lineman half as good as he was most of us would be ecstatic. Although I'm sure you would still cling to your very minority position that the LT position is not an important position.

Your logic is difficult to comprehend. The Browns organization has been renowned for its historical dysfunction. Bad ownership, front office and coaching. It makes a first round draft selection of a LT who turns out to be all-pro for most of his career. You then criticize that selection and consider it a mistake because that singular pick didn't alter the course of its ignominious history. That makes little sense. This was a franchise that made bad qb decisions and for the most part exhibited ineptitude on a grand scale. So in your unique line of reasoning you conclude that the player who turned out to be exceptional was a bad pick. That makes no sense.

It's really impressive that the Pats have lost so many front office staffers and scouts and they continue to grind on. They bring in young scouts who work themselves up the ladder and become appealing targets for other franchises. The departures of Allen to Miami and Gaines to Houston is a good sign that our front office is bringing in talented young staffers who have distinguished themselves. That's more of a good than a bad sign.

As I said in prior posts I'm not wedded to any particular linemen. The evaluation process is at an early stage. What I have been consistently saying is that through the draft and free agency the OL has to be addressed in a major way, not in a marginal way. If I were to have to place a bet on what position will be drafted for in the first round I would say a defensive linemen. Part of the reason is the proclivity of our HC and the abundance of talent at that position.

The football reality is that even top-shelf OTs have trouble with premium pass rushers. They are such special athletes that very few linemen can handle them one on one. Don't misconstrue my position. I'm not wedded to any particular player. But what I am wedded to is the belief that by dramatically upgrading our line you will be putting JA in a position to succeed. I'm not saying you have to do it just through the draft or free agency. Probably the best way to address this glaring deficit is through both the draft and free agency.

I'm not disagreeing with your point of view so much as adding to it. It is unquestionable that Josh Allen is our most valuable asset. And it is without question that this organization expended a lot of resources to acquire him. The best way to get a return from this costly player is to make it a priority to put him in a position to succeed. In my opinion the priority should be the OL and getting a hard charging between the tackles runner. The Bills can dramatically upgrade the receiving unit by getting good #2 receivers and a TE from free agency. In other words you address a priority by addressing a priority.

Excellent analysis and post. You rightly/smartly put in perspective where this franchise is in its development. Too many people got caught up in the exciting ten game winning streak and used it as a benchmark to compare to. In that streak that mostly consisted of one goal games the puck bounced in our favor. But that was an unrealistic measuring stick. The right perspective to take is comparing last year's team to this year's team. When this season is over we should be more than 20 points better. And I still believe that we will be vying for a wild-card spot. Clearly, I'm not guaranteeing we will make the post-season but we will be in the mix. The reason why the Sabres are fading is simple: They don't have enough talent to have a well-rounded contending team. That's the brutal reality. There are people who are sounding the alarm that our coaching is a prime reason why this team is starting to sputter. I disagree. This team has consistently played hard but in the end talent prevails. Yesterday's game against Tampa is an example of that. We matched them with effort and on the scoreboard until the end. Then their fire-power that came from multiple lines resulted in the difference. At this point we can't match the potency of the serious teams. As you noted what is most important is the development of our young players, such as Thompson, Mittelstad, Pilut and hopefully in the not too distant future Nylander and Guhle. Dahlin is in a special class but even with him there is a potential that he has barely scratched. My belief is to stay the course and have the fortitude to stick with the plan that has been outlined. Botterill has on many occasions repeated and reinforced that is what he is going to do. Some are discouraged but not I. I am more encouraged then ever. It's not about today as it is about tomorrow.

When considering and evaluating Jonah Williams don't fall into the combine mentality trap of excessively rating a player based on athletic talents. There is no doubt that he isn't physically imposing or the most athletic lineman to be considered. But if one places the emphasis on position skill and technical skills such as footwork and positioning he should be rated very highly. Just because Williams doesn't measure as well as some of the other player he is an excellent football player. Ask yourself how many freshman have started for Saban at his elite program and then started for four years? If he is taken at the nine spot by us I will be ecstatic.

The difference between the play of Hutton and Ullmark isn't performance. It's just that the team seems to score more when Ullmark is playing. Maybe Hutton is jinxed with those fluky goals? Both seem to play equally well. The goaltending this year has been the most consistent part of the Sabre games. I'm glad that you had a good time in Carolina. At least this year there is some meaning and more entertainment in the games. By the way did you buy Boyz62 a beer or two? Were his pants so funky that you didn't want people to think that you were associating with him and his odd fashion habits?

The problem that the Bills are going to confront in attempting to shore up their OL in free agency is that there are a number of teams that are also desperate to build up their lines. The Bills have the cap wherewithal to pay for line players, and so do other teams. Houston and Jacksonville are desperate for linemen. Jacksonville's collapse was as much due to their injured line that took them out of the running. Bortles is Bortles and receives most of the attention associated with the collapse of the Jaguars. But the main contributor for their precipitous decline from a near SB run last year was the faltering of their line, much of it because of injuries. The same desperate need applies to Houston who wants to protect their most valuable asset in Watson. The model to follow is Indy. They drafted Nelson who will be a perennial all-star and if healthy a HOF candidate with a high pick in the first round and then with a second round pick selected a G/T from Auburn. Both started. The priority was obvious of protecting Luck so that he can function at a high level and stay healthy. Don't get me wrong I'm not arguing against taking a serious run at line players in free-agency. But in my view we also need to consider upscale line talent from the draft such as Bama's Josh Williams and WV's Cajuste. I personally favor Williams because he can play every position on the line. Versatility is a talent. If you want to address an issue the best way to do it is to just do it!

A tough inside runner is as much a priority as is bolstering the line. I'm not sure I would want to use a second round pick for a back but I'm not adverse to it. We can get second tier receivers in free agency who will still upgrade the unit. The OL is the priority and so is upgrading the offense in general to put our young and strapping qb in a position to succeed.

Three fluke goals for Carolina. That's hockey! We just don't have enough collective scoring within the lines to compensate for bad luck. I don't see that situation changing this season. That's the reality. The playoff chase is going down to the wire. This loss was a crusher because of the failure to take advantage of a less or equally talented team and cushion us when we face the challenges of going against the big boys. We need to keep the Eichel-Skinner-Reinhart line in tact. The big question is whether Plenzmd can handle the vicissitudes of a season and season-long playoff chase? He is usually almost normal but when stressed with hockey disappointments he becomes insanely frantic. Chill pills when used judiciously can be effective!

I have always questioned Plenz's judgment. Not so much now. Plenz is a notorious mooch. If he asks you to buy a beer make sure that he buys the first one because he has a habit of disappearing when it is his turn to reciprocate.

There is no disagreement that with a qb such as LJ and Tyrod that you have to simplify your offense. But as I stated in my comments to Gunner unless there is a progression to the qb's (LJ) game the defenses will take away what you are trying to do. This is the pro game and not the college game where you can get away with constantly running basic plays. Unless Lamar adds to his ability to run an offense he will confront the same limitations that Taylor dealt with. The issue comes down to is how restricted is the OC's play calling because of the limitations of the qb? As I said before Jackson needs to steadily advance his game the more he plays. Tyrod never got beyond his limitations because he just couldn't. When your tool box doesn't have many tools don't be surprised when you have fewer options to make your offense work. As I stated before a running qb has a shorter shelf life. Just because you can't do something well at the early stages of your qbing career that doesn't mean that you can't expand your game to make you and your offense better.