finn

Hyde tutored Bishop last year, remember? He was signed (I think to the practice squad) but was never activated or expected to be activated. His role was to help develop Bishop, or that was the report at the time. So Bishop has had the benefit of being brought along by both Hyde and Poyer.

Have we reached a consensus on how Atlanta beat the Bills? They blitzed like crazy and stacked the box to stop Cook, but why didn't Allen do his thing and hit his outlets? If there's no clear answer, it's a clear invitation for other teams to follow suit as the best way to stop these old-school tactics.

So nice to see aggressive plays on the ball (thinking Hairston's plays, too) after at least two years of catch and tackle (or catch and missed tackle).

Yes, I acknowledged that. I'm looking for rays of hope on an increasingly cloudy day, not predicting full sunshine.

Or Anquan Boldin. Although both he and Ward were considerably shorter, both were a lot less physical than Coleman. As others have said, he's big but plays small. Doesn't box out or sky for the jump ball consistently, hands not great, slow. Sure doesn't bring much for someone who gets more snaps than any other skill player. Can he develop? It's looking more dubious as time goes on. I think the best hope is the problems are in his head. Compare his FSU tape to his NFL tape; it's like two different players. (I've only seen his college highlights, though.) For example, on several comeback routes on the sideline, Allen throws a perfect ball with perfect timing to his outside shoulder, where only he can get the ball. Diggs thrived on those. Impossible to defend, even with such a slow receiver. Yet Coleman allowed the DB to make a play. That seems fixable. I mean, the guy is big. Allen could also throw way over his head sometimes, which I haven't seen. Coleman seems to love those climb the ladder balls. So maybe there's hope.

I might have judged him too harshly, but it could be both-and. He might have been sincerely upset and clutch and, at the same time, careful to be seen as upset and clutch.

I thought at the time the Damar visit was weird. It wasn't about Damar, it was about Stefan. Look at me! He wasn't quietly sneaking out the back door after the visit. Divas don't change their spots.

I wonder if the injuries are a byproduct of McDermott's commitment to a what he calls a "nasty attitude" on defense. Where else do you inculcate that attitude but in practice, and how else than by practicing nasty, resulting in injuries? (What is nasty, anyway? I'm losing my handle on it. Aggressive? Unpleasant? Impolite?)

I'm pretty tall, but I would be looking up at everyone in the lineup except Cook. Gives you some perspective.

From left to right and front to back in the 13: 6'4" 6"5" 6'6" 6'5" 6'6" 6'8" 6'4" 6'4" 6'5" 5'll". That's a big offense.

In that case, keep him out of practice, too. We must lead the league in practice injuries.

Has Bernard ever not appeared on an injury report? The list should read "Bernard and the following players."

Good point. I should be careful what I wish for. It's easy to look at Sanders, Jackson, and Carter and dream about how those picks could have been star receivers, but that's not how it works in the real world. They haven't worked out yet, but a) they could still; b) he did hit on Bosa, Hoecht, Walker, and maybe Obi-Wan; and b) there's no saying for sure one or more WRs after the first round or via free agency or even trade would have been better, except in hindsight, which is B.S. No, you want balance, for sure. I do think Beane is doing a good job overall. He's probably doing better than all but a handful of GMs. Of course, those GMs run the Eagles, KC, SF, and Baltimore, so there's that. (Not looking for an argument on this one, btw.)

It depends on what you mean by "great." I don't think this offense is great at this point, do you? Very good, balanced, efficient at times, but not great. And that's just my point. With two and possibly even one top receiver, this very offense has the potential for true (like historical) greatness. It has the offensive line, the back, the tight ends, and certainly the quarterback. All it lacks (putting aside the coordinator) is at least one elite wide receiver. They wouldn't need to score on every drive, just one or two more times a game than they are now. That is what I mean by Beane letting us all down by settling for Shakir and a bunch of backups. I get it, he has a lot of holes to plug on defense. I don't even blame him, really, although I think a historic offense could just outscore everyone. But it's a bit sad to think what we're missing.

Yeah, but you're comparing an ancient Flacco to a guy who is his prime. I think Burrow might be overrated. Think of what Allen could do with those receivers. Either one would instantly be the best WR on the team. By not getting him a true WR1 since Diggs, Beane has done a disservice not just to Allen and the Bills but to the entire NFL community, who haven't had the pleasure of seeing what the best QB in the league can really do. It's like Usain Bolt running with a weight vest.