Paup 1995MVP

Watching Hodgins film, he looked pretty dominant at Oregon State last year. 6'4 with great hands gives him a chance. We have noone close to his size on the team. Can't have the smallest receiver group every year. Roberts avg per return is inflated because he was always returning from 8 yards deep in the end zone. His elusiveness was nil on punt returns. He doesn't suck. But another example of McDermott liking marginal veteran players on offense or special teams. McGhee and McKelvin in their prime were much better at return Kickoffs and punts respectively then Roberts.

Is Darryl Talley on the wall? He had a great career. And was a big time leader on the team for many years. Schobel was good for the nine years he played for us. But I don't think he dominated game in and game out. Was he better then Jerry Hughes? Interesting debate there. Bennett was tremendous. Made many big plays for many years. Was a great athlete. Didn't he return a blocked FG against the Broncos late in a game at Rich in 90 that got us going in our first Super Bowl Season? I have this memory in my head going nuts watching that. He should be on the Wall for sure! Moulds was a beast at WR. Yes he should get serious consideration. Butch Byrd was before my time. But his numbers look tremendous. So was Edgerson. Heard he was really good also. Bills had a lot of really good players in the 60's it sounds like. Aren't George Saimes and Tom Sestak on the wall. Anyone know much about them? One of my favorites from the draught years was Terrence McGhee. Tremendous Kickoff return man. Very good DB. Good team leader. Just a very good football player. If he was around today, would be a great slot corner this decade also. Injuries took their toll at the end on him, like they do to so many in the sport. I always thought Ruben Brown was a bit overrated. Took a lot of penalties. Jim Ritcher was a dam good O lineman. That Super Bowl line was tremendous. As a kid I remember watching Bob Chandler. He was special. He was our Fred Bilitnekoff. Jerry Butler had some great games also. Too bad injuries cut his career short. If Antoine Winfield had not been allowed to leave, he would be on the wall today. And of course Kyle. He will be on the wall at some point in the next 5 years.

I don't think Andre Roberts did much of anything last year to automatically claim a roster spot. I believe he had one big kickoff return all season. I think Taiwan Jones can replace him just fine if needed. As can Isaiah McKenzie. I would think the WR's are Diggs Brown Beasley Davis Hodgins and McKenzie. Really surprised what happened to Robert Foster last year. Guy caught 3 passes all season. Duke will get a chance, but he just has to get better all around. Better at making the tougher catch. Better at getting separation. Get a little more explosive. Get more athletic. I wonder what his ceiling is. Not sure yet. We definitely will have a much deeper group which is great for the team.

Interesting thought New Era. No Dak is not worth the $35 mill. Dalton is just as good except for the mobility for one fifth the price. If Dalton plays well, Jerry signs him to a 3 year extension. And they draft the future guy in the next year or two. Now the big question is who would be in the market for Dak Prescott? Who is going to want to pay Dak big money? And what will the Cowboys fetch for him? A 2nd and a 4th maybe?

Even first round QB's have red flags. There is no certainty of success from any draft pick. These are young men that are going up to a higher level of competition. It is certainly not easy to succeed as an NFL QB. But agreed taking Jake Fromm in the 5th round, the downside is minimal. The kid is a winner. He is a gamer. He competes hard, is smart and can make plays. Does he have amazing physical tools? Not to the level of some QB prospects. But that's not a necessity to being a solid NFL QB. Joe Montana did not have a cannon for an arm, the fastest 40, or was 6'5 250 pounds. But he was an amazing QB in an era where the defense was allowed to beat the snot out of the QB w impunity. (look up the hit he took from Jim Burt in the Meadowlands in the playoff game against the Giants in 86 or 87. My goodness) Physical tools are great but understanding the nuances of the game and using the mental side to always have the edge is what separates the champions of every sport. A quick example: The best starting pitcher of the modern baseball era (since 1980's) was.....Greg Maddux. From a physical perspective he was maybe 5'11 and 180 pounds. The most normal looking guy ever. Guy won over 350 games!! He barely ever threw above 88-89 mph. But he knew how to pitch better then anyone, and his ball was always moving. Anyone who watched him knows what I mean. He took his physical ability and combined that with superior knowledge of how to pitch, and an amazing grit and competitiveness. Loved watching him. Not saying that Fromm is that. But you all should get the point. He will make the Bills better at the least because he will be much better then Matt Barkley. Anything further then that remains to be seen. But for anyone to say he is trash or a scrub (my kids included) are sorely mistaken.

Thank you Hampton. I really appreciate that. You sound like quite a fan yourself. One of my most cherished memories was going to Jim Kelly's HOF induction in Canton in 2002. My ex wife and I flew up to Buffalo. And then drove down to Canton for the day. I was so proud to be there with my new #12 jersey on, (special HOF edition) cheering on the legend. I remember the speech he gave about his son Hunter. Still chokes me up thinking about that. Bills nation was strong and proud that day!! The Kelly Bills teams were absolutely tremendous. So many talented players across the roster. Hard to have a favorite. But I have a fondness for Andre Reed. Just a tough talented receiver. If he had played in this era, his stats would have been as good as anybody's. Had great hands catching the football. And what a competitor he was. On defense I loved Darryl Talley. A bad ass tough dude. Great leader. Great player. And even the teams later on in the 90's had some great players. My namesake Bryce Paup had two amazing years w the Bills (95 and 96) But the best player hands down to ever wear a Bills uni was BRUCE!! Noone dominated the NFL game from the DE position like Bruce. Him LT Reggie White Ronnie Lott and Ray Lewis. That is the pantheon of defense in the modern era. It all starts w those guys. Lots of other greats. But it starts there for me.

Is Star really THAT slow? Good god. That is awful. Was he walking?

That's awesome. When my daughter was young during the draught years. And we would watch the Bills every Sunday she would say. Why do we root for the Bills? We suck!

JJ I don't think that all Bills fans would like to see us resign Dawkins yet. He has work to do to show that he is an upper echelon player, worthy of a big contract. Just because a guy doesn't suck, doesn't mean he is worth $15+ mill per year. Of course White will deserve top money, and hopefully Allen as well. Milano is a nice player. But not sure where his game translates into being a top end game changer. He is a solid NFL player. But he needs to improve as a tackler. I can not see Beane giving Milano a 10+ million per year contract. If he wasn't giving it to Shaq or Phillips, he won't give it to Milano unless he takes it to another level this year and plays ridiculously well. I like Milano, but he is a guy who can be replaced if he gets too pricey.

Gunner you know a lot about Football. I respect your opinions. I hope you are right about Dawkins That would be great if he played like a top 10-12 tackle. Agree about the rest of the O line as well. But still do not agree about your love for Dimarco. Don't think he is athletic enuf to be on an NFL roster at this point.

Thanks Hampton. I appreciate the response. Football has been a huge constant in my life since I was 8 years old living in Pennsylvania. I moved to Buffalo New Years 1976 when I was 10 and been a Bills fan ever since. I have not missed a game on TV since the last game of the 94 season. (when I go on vacation in the fall, it is usually to Vegas to bet on games) My three kids who are either young adults or close to it grew up with the NFL and the Bills on the Sunday Ticket every Sunday. My daughter used to wear a Brian Moorman jersey when she was young (he was the best player on team for years) My older son would only wear NFL jerseys to school when he was in elementary school. Football was a way of life in our house. My mother who did not grow up a big football fan became hooked watching the Bills-Chargers playoff game at the end of the 1980 season. She had season tickets for years after she moved to Toronto. She would make the trek with her boyfriend to every game. Her last one was the blizzard game against the Colts. She was in the middle of that at age 77. She gave her tickets away after that because her boyfriend had heart issues. But she still watches every game in Toronto. And the rest of my family all spread out across America does too. I went to the first and third Bills Super Bowls. Took my two boys down to Jacksonville for the Bills-Jags playoff game. We are all very loyal to the team. I was watching the draft with two boys last Thursday nite. And my younger who is 17 says to me. I remember when I was little, you would always be yelling at Trent Edwards, that he was always dumping it off instead of throwing down the field. That cracked me up.

Why is Long always mentioned as a backup? Were our starting guards even that good last year? They were not John Hannah and Alan Faneca. Or even Jim Ritcher and Ruben Brown for that matter. (I always thought Ruben while good was somewhat overrated) Let them all compete for starting jobs. Morse is our center. Dawkins is our LT I guess. (Think he needs to play better this year) And let the rest compete for the remaining 3 positions. Long Spain Feliciano Ford Boehm Boettgher for the Guards. Nseke Ford Bates Williams and Adams at RT. I think the team wants Ford to show enuf to start at RT. But I think Williams' best at RT is better then Fords. And you then go with Ford at RG and Williams at RT. Maybe Long is better then Spain on the left side. Time will tell. But the 5 who are starting need to play better then they did in 2020. That will be a big boost to the offense. And sure Beane may be able to flip a back up or two for a late round pick. He is the master. The Bodine trade still cracks me up. He sucked!! As for Murphy. He played well late in the year and in the playoff game. If he continues that, we may want to keep him. We would have Murphy Hughes Addison Jefferson Epenesa and Johnson. Competition is great. Lets see what Johnson can do before we start thinking he is something special. It will play itself out. Roster predictions the week after the draft are always a bit silly.

I kind of agree Kirby. The Bills top everything. But College Football on the whole has way more pageantry and passion amongst its fan bases. The games are just insane. I am a big Michigan fan. Its my school. But I have also been to games at Va Tech and Auburn several times. The atmosphere is unbelievable at both.

That was a very sad ending that day. I was at the game. Two really two hard nosed teams. That was still the old NFL when defenses put a beat down on you. Bills had great LB's back then. Sam Rogers Keith Newman John Holocek Sam Cowart. Bruce was still good after 15 years. Phil Hanson was still around. It was pretty cold that day in Nashville. Damp drizzly and dreary. But I remember partying early in the morning in the cold w my ex wife and buddies in a parking lot. Lots of beer and donuts. We met some Bills fans from Corpus Christie, Texas. Had driven all the way up for the game. The field was all tore up. Titans had McNair Eddie George Frank Wychek. Javon Kearse. Just a bunch of warriors. Flutie was good. For all you youngsters on here. Flutie was awesome. So much fun and so exciting. He was a leader. Brought the team back to life in 98 two years after Jimbo retired. Loved that guy!

Don't forget Flutie. He was awesome when he played. But I get your point. I am in complete agreement with you on Josh Allen!!

Wow, you guys talk like he was the next coming of Andre Reed, Eric Moulds and James Lofton all in one. He had a good year, and is a solid receiver. But he was far from spectacular. The passing game overall was still below average for today's NFL. I like John Brown, don't get me wrong. But he disappeared at times in the second half of the season. Hopefully with Diggs drawing a lot of attention JB will have another solid year.

Its going to be a manly schedule to say the least, if there is a season. Bills should definitely be a top 10 team this year. But where in the top 10 will be the question. They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Love our secondary and D Line. (no weak links there) Edmunds and Milano need to take the next step and dominate especially in the run game. (I don't want to hear that Edmunds is still young. Its his 3rd year w the same coaches. Time to be the man on defense. Would like to see Milano bulk up a bit. It is not illegal to be close to 240 at LB) On offense, still a lot of questions that won't be answered until we are playing. O line maybe the biggest. They all need to get better. Noone was close to great or even very good last year. I was expecting Morse to be close to great from the contract we signed him to and watching his hilites in KC. Dawkins needs to be very good. (Otherwise no pt in paying him big money imho) And for the other 3 spots, both G's and RT, whoever wins the jobs need to be good. That should not be that hard. We have a lot of guys who don't suck. But can they be good is the question. (Long Spain Feliciano Ford Boehm Nseke Williams Bates Boettger Adams-guy from UW-thought that was his last name) We need 5 at least good O lineman. Sick of mediocre to poor. Coaching needs to get it done. RB's will be strong. Moss is a beast from his film. Tough dude. Singletary is shifty. And Yeldon has game-more then many of you think. Our receivers are dramatically improved with Diggs, and hopefully Hodgins and Davis. Competition should make everyone better. Williams and Foster had better step up game quickly. And I believe there is always room for a guy like McKenzie on the roster. He is more valuable then Roberts, who is slow at this point, and can be replaced by McKenzie and Taiwan Jones. TE is somewhat of a ?, but I think we see some big improvement from Knox and Sweeney. And Kroft if healthy. And don't forget about Jason Croom. Guy is somewhat athletic and if healthy could be a downfield weapon. (no place for a Lee Smith in today's NFL) Finally QB. This is Josh's 3rd year. Time to take the training wheels off and let him rip it. Don't be worried about making mistakes. Let his athletic ability as a thrower of the football come out. I don't care about some pics if he is making plays and throwing TD's No reason he should not have 32-35 TD's. And if he throws 14-16 picks, I can live with it. Because he is also going to get us 7-10 rushing scores per year. He can be that good, but he has to process and read the field quicker. And be more accurate. If he does that, he can be very good to great. Fingers crossed. And don't count out Jake Fromm at some point in the next few years. Guy is a winner. Has that swag, and is a cocky MF. Dude is also real smart. He will pick it up quickly. I was not a huge Dawgs fan. But watched a lot of their games living in Atl. And Fromm was tough well liked and respected by most. He will play in the league and be good at some point. He is not a Rex Grossman or Brett Hundley. Don't forget Brady was a 6th round pick in 2000. And afterthought by most after a good but not distinguished college career. I think Fromm was better in college. And don't forget Special teams. Bass will be much better then Hauschka was the past couple years. Need your kicker to be good once you cross the opponents 40 on most kicks. Gives the team a certain confidence. Hauschka did not do that. Finally, the one thing noone talks enuf about is coaching. Will it be good enuf to compete with the top teams. (NO, SF, GB, Seattle, KC, Balt) I think I GM is as good as any in football. I don't know if McDermott is there yet or will ever get there. That remains to be seen. He has our team ready to compete pretty much every week. But his game management is sometimes questionable. And his roster selections on offense don't make a lot of sense at times. Benching Yeldon Sweeney and Duke for most of the season, when offense was struggling, and instead playing the likes of Lee Smith, Dimarco , Gore , Sinorise Perry and Andre Roberts when none brought anything to the offense was criminal IMHO. It is nice to have veterans on the roster if they are good solid players. Otherwise they mean nothing. None of these guys (including Gore in the second half of the season ) brought any juice. McDermott has to do better in constructing the game day roster. Its an offensive league. Those guys were offensive. If things fall strongly into place and Josh gets on a roll, no reason this team can not get to 12-4. But a lot has to happen. More realistic is a strong 10 or 11 win season with strong play every week, instead of that feeling of last year where we beat a lot of trash teams. (And not very well mind you.) And as the playoffs come around we are peaking where we all feel like the team is ready to contend for a championship this season. (I apologize if I got too wordy)

An injured RT for a decade. But the Spiller pick was ridiculous when we already had Lynch and Fredex. Nice frikin pick Buddy Nix.. Is Buddy still alive at this point? Does anyone know?

I have never been much of a Cam fan. His flash and antics seem staged. And he seems way too much about himself. That being said I agree with you that if I was Chicago, I would have brought him in to compete w Trubisky. He is better then Foles and likely beats out Trubisky. If I am the Jags I bring him in also. But he still has to beat out Minshew. (he should be able to) I don't think he should be handed any starting job coming off an injury and some uneven play over the past couple seasons. The Raiders are interesting. Derrick Carr has plateaued and his ceiling seems low at this point. Grudawg should give Cam a ring and bring some competition to the position. I like Murray way better then Cam at this point. He has that it factor. Loved watching him last year. Don't know if he will be great. But he sure is exciting.

With the draft haul we still got and getting Diggs, it shows what a good GM Beane is. We literally did not need the picks we traded to Minnesota (1st 5th and 6th) We got a top seasoned WR who is a stud, and some great talent in the draft. Anyone who says we way overpaid for Diggs doesn't know Beane, the Bills needs, and how to build a solid competitive NFL team. Bravo to Brandon Beane. He has put together an amazing offseason!! Now its up to McDermott and staff to get the most out of this very talented group of players. So pumped for the upcoming season!

Thanks for that info. That should be a real interesting competition. I guess Vinitieri is done, just in time for his 50th bday. The George Blanda of the modern era.

I agree with your take on Jameis on Hard Knocks. That was two years ago. I got to believe that a year under Bruce Arians helped him grow up some. Dirk Cutter had no control over that team. It was not very professional.

Hey Virgil, you have an interesting take on this Bills team. (I will say that I was a Leodis McKelvin fan. Guy could return punts as well as anyone we ever had, had good speed and played hard. He was not a great player. But he was a solid player and a stand up guy. Had a decent NFL career) I have been a fan since the mid 70's. Seen some great Bills teams, some good Bills teams and a lot of below average to bad Bills teams. But to say we have ARRIVED is a little premature, wouldn't you say?? Yes our roster looks quite good right now. Especially after yesterday's draft. I was harping for weeks on how we did not have enuf offensive weapons. Well after yesterday, I like our offense a whole lot better. Contrary to what some on here think, you need a lot of decent to good receivers over the life of a 16 game season to be successful. That all being said. I think it is premature to say we have arrived. We won 10 games last year with a weak schedule and a marginal offense. We have not won a playoff game for 24 years. (Loved that stat shoved in our face by ESPN graphics Friday nite) I think we have arrived as far as becoming a very well run organization with an excellent GM and a solid head coach who has the makings of a very good head coach in the future. But until we start playing the 2020 season, any statement that the team has arrived is far too premature. Yes we have talent. But we still have a young QB with lots of questions that he will need to answer. We have a potentially good O line. But lets see what they do when the pads go on. We will have a much tougher schedule this season then last based on the divisions we will be playing. I appreciate and respect your enthusiasm brother Virgil. And I am excited as well. But until this team clinches the AFC East, and then goes on to win at least one playoff game, and is in the conversation of being a Super Bowl contender, or at least can start scoring 3 to 4 offensive TD's per game with regularity, we have not quite arrived....

Hauschka is done. Leg not strong enuf to kick in NFL any longer. In today's NFL you have to be able to consistently make from 55. Bass will end up being our Butker or Lutz. Anyone know where Blankenship from UGA ended up signing?

That is pretty surprising. I can not believe that there is no team out of the 32 that will give him a chance to come in and compete for the starting job. Jameis has game. Sure he throws some picks, but he is not afraid to push it up the field. Way too many cautious QB's in the NFL. With the right coaching he can shine even brighter. I would be more excited about him in Chicago then Trubisky and Foles. And of course I would take him over Tyrod in LA. (never a big Tyrod fan like some of you on here) But they have Herbert as the Rivers heir apparent. I would have thought Jacksonville would have given him a chance to compete for the starting job verse Minshew. But Jacksonville is just a very odd organization which really wants to be in London anyways. So with Jameis signed where if anywhere does Cam land? I can only think of potentially Jacksonville or New England to compete for a starting role. Maybe Tennessee to back up Tannehill. Who is the Titans back up with Mariotta gone anyways? How about Arizona to back up Kyler Murray? Who is the Cardinals backup right now? Not a lot out there right now when it comes down to it. Sorry Cam. Too bad so sad. You can parade around your house in your Elton John outfits. He he