finn

I keep thinking about Marv Levy's adage, "It's last year's rookies that are important." I assume Bernard will return stronger, and maybe a little heavier. He should be better, which isn't saying much, I realize. It sounds like his upside is a smaller Milano, which I'll take.

I wonder if the Bills draft Sanders with an idea of converting him to a DE down the line. He can really rush the passer, and the Bills don't have anyone who can bring the heat consistently outside of Rousseau and Miller. Is there any chance at all of Campbell being available in the 2nd round?

Forgive me, Dr. Who, but I have to point out that you misspelled the word "complement." To "compliment" means to praise; "complement" means to supplement or complete, as in what I take to be your meaning here. No blame: the word may be one of the most commonly misspelled in the language. And it usually leads to unintentionally comic results, as in extolling the benefits of bringing in a TE to compliment another TE. "Looking mighty fine today, Dawson! Those new socks?" Puts a whole new spin on the draft and free agency! 😀

Of course he's not perfect. I'm just saying he has reasons to be frustrated, and it's more important to tend to these reasons than worry about his emotional equilibrium. You seem to be saying, "You know, Allen really should be a doing a better job of carrying the entire offense on his back. He gets so upset at times!"

But why is Allen emotional in the first place? Could it be that he yet another play had just been wrecked by his turnstile line, and the play before that by his receiver dropping the ball or running the wrong route? Or that Dorsey had called yet another head-scratcher? Or that he had one less receiver running routes because Knox had to stay in to block? You don't see Mahomes frustrated half as often because Reid schemes his receivers, especially Kelsey, to be wide open half the time. And he has lots of time the rest of the time to sit in the pocket with his little squirrel moves until his receivers get open. Allen routinely had to dodge Brown's blown block and Saffold's blunder and buy time until his receivers broke open, only to see them drop a ball he put right in their hands. And you say he needs to work on his emotions?

I agree. From the highlights, Sanders looks faster than Campbell. He closes in a hurry. I wouldn't balk at him being the choice at 27.

Nonsense. He'll be available in the second round! As long as we're not stupid enough to trade up for a disaster like Cody Ford.

How about he insists instead--hammers the point again and again--that the WRs need to catch the ball and the line needs to do its job.

Agree. A good line would give Allen time to find his receivers AND keep him healthy. You could add Hopkins, Jefferson, AND AJ Brown and still not move the needle much if the line continues to be a sieve. Defensive linemen are some of the best athletes on the planet, yet Beane seems content with JAG players like Bates, Boettger, Edwards, Van Roten, Quessenberry, and Brown (at his best). Beane seems convinced that elite players are needed at D-line, but mediocrity will suffice on the O-line.

Or, worse, a fan of a 2023 Rams team that hadn't won the Super Bowl in 2022.

At the time I was thinking, "Hopkins makes that catch." And I was right.

I can see trading Oliver now if they don't play to keep him later. But I would prefer using the compensation to sign a younger player like Jeudy instead of Hopkins, or, better, draft a prospect. We have enough aging, expensive, fragile veterans.

Looks like another Singletary, with less elusiveness.

Except for the seven or so that were blacked out every week, including most Bills games because they were national or primary. Drove me crazy.

Runs like Marshawn Lynch. A bruiser who doesn't stop.

Maybe that's the Pats'* MO: Hold off on signing FA's until the comp picks are settled. You might miss out a bit, but you have an extra 3rd or whatever. To put it another way, is signing Dane Jackson early worth the third-round pick they would have had if they had waited?

I think you're right that Mahomes' receiving corps weren't elite, but neither was Allen's. If you grant that Diggs and Kelsey are equivalent, who had the better receivers? At best it's a wash, but I would give Mahomes the edge. Plus, as you say, he had one of the best lines in the league and Allen the worst. So I can't agree with what has become the consensus view that Mahomes is better. Put him behind Allen's line and give him Dorsey calling his plays instead of Reid and we'll see who's better.

Sure, here are three peer-reviewed studies that suggest that sugar is not a healthy breakfast option for children: Vos, M. B., Welsh, J. A., & Gillman, M. W. (2015). Added sugars and cardiovascular disease risk in children: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 131(14), e439-e454. Smith, C. E., Tucker, K. L., & Kris-Etherton, P. M. (2016). Association of breakfast cereal consumption with nutrient intake, body mass index, and cardiovascular risk factors in US children and adolescents. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(4), 486-494. Deshmukh-Taskar, P., Nicklas, T. A., O'Neil, C. E., Keast, D. R., Radcliffe, J. D., & Cho, S. (2010). The relationship of breakfast skipping and type of breakfast consumption with nutrient intake and weight status in children and adolescents: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(6), 869-878.

What about Leonard Fournette, provided he's in shape? 28 years old, fast, elite runner and receiver in his prime. He's already earning $2m guaranteed, so maybe he'd sign for $3m, given his age. Big guy.

They need to resign Shaq and Phillips first. I'm hoping Bobby Wagner will sign for cheap so he can end his career with a Super Bowl win. That will give them a chance to take a top WR in the first round, a TE in the second, and OL and RB help in later rounds. Beane will likely find an aging veteran OT to compete with Brown. They can't have everything, and I'm guessing they'll pass on pass-rush help and hope the young guns can do ok until Miller returns. If Wagner doesn't sign, it'll have to be LB in the first, and it'll be a long season on offense, unless Gabe and Shakir suddenly go nuclear or Harty is amazing, which sounds like wishful thinking.

Now we need a tall, rangy WR or TE in the draft.

Ok, so what about his size? Along with JJ Taylor and Boston Scott (I never heard of them, either), Harty is the shortest player in the NFL at 5'6". Even Beasley is 5'8". And at 170 pounds, you can tackle him with two fingers. I'm not saying signing him is a bad move, necessarily. But his size makes it a risky one.

....or a fumble. Or he'll catch it and stay inbounds so the clock runs out. Or he'll step out of bounds in the end zone and watch the ensuing interception and return as a passive bystander. It won't take much for Harty to be an improvement.

I wonder if Beane was so frustrated by the McKissic betrayal that he overcompensated by drafting Cook and also signing Hines, when one would have been adequate.

Yeah, I was joking. Forgot the smiley face. 😄