The Now Moment Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 4 hours ago, BarleyNY said: It is doable, but there is a lot that needs done and the clock is ticking on some of it. Hughes in particular. If we don’t work something out before the season I expect him to want to hit free agency. Then we are stuck with either tagging him or probably watching him walk. Shaq almost certainly isn’t coming back. Since the 5th year option came into existence only one player who had his option declined has re-signed with the team that drafted him. That was Mark Ingram with the Saints. There obviously were players who were extended before or at the option deadline so I don’t count them. Murphy coming back to form would be great, but here’s my issue with him: He hasn’t looked all that great since his positive PED test. My worry is that he was only as good as he was because he was juicing and now that he (presumably) isn’t, he will be nothing more than average. Maybe it was his injury that was the issue and I’m being harsh, but I will not expect him to be able to return to form until I see it. It’d be great if he did though. So so those are my worries. Hughes walks, Murphy doesn’t come back to form and Shaq is out. Ugh. I’ll relax if/when we re-sign Hughes and Murphy steps it back up. I’ve completely written off Shaq after this season. Things can be worked out, but until I see something positive happen I’m going to be nervous. A lot of worrying happening here. Take a breath. I have to disagree with you about Lawson. He was much better last season. His sack numbers did not show how good of an end he was. He hit the Qb 12 times, had 5 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles, all career highs. He was an actual disruptor at times and gained some respect from the coaching staff. He only played 43% of snaps. He improved and I expect him to improve more this season. He may not get a massive contract but if he improves he could still be signed as a rotational piece.
LSHMEAB Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Logic said: For one thing, the Bills should re-sign Jerry Hughes. He is still highly productive and I'd venture to guess that his ability to make plays is put to better use in McDermott's defense than it would be anywhere else. As long as Jerry is open to an extension and not asking for the moon, he should be re-signed. So that gives us Murphy and Hughes to start with. From there, a couple draft picks to infuse the position with youth should be all that's needed. Hughes is getting up there as is Lorax. Murphy is always hurt. Shaq is Shaq. If we were talking about a different position, I'd say that's fine. We're talking about the most important defensive position. I would have no problem trading for a Clark or a Clowney even if it meant giving up next year's first. The defense would go up several notches IMO with one of the best front four's in all of football and all but guarantee an 8 win team. If Allen takes a leap, we're talking about a monster season. I don't expect them to be that bold, but I do expect them to re-sign Hughes to a reasonable contract(13M/YR), cut Murphy, ditch Shaq and sign a young premier pass rusher. I don't know what kind of deal Hughes is looking for, but his age is gonna be a detriment. My personal preference is to allocate a LARGE chunk of resources on the defensive side of the ball to the line. Edited May 17, 2019 by LSHMEAB
Aussie Joe Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 5 hours ago, BarleyNY said: So so those are my worries. Hughes walks, Murphy doesn’t come back to form and Shaq is out. Ugh.. But all three will be here in 2019 so let’s just see how that plays out first.. All three will be motivated to play with two in their contract year and Murphy will need to go better then last year otherwise he will be cut in my view with no guaranteed money left for 2020.. I know you are concerned that they haven’t extended Hughes yet, but given his age, I don’t think you can at this stage of the year..You need to see how he goes this season to make sure he isn’t slowing down..I think if he delivers like last year he will get extended... he seems to like it here from what I have seen from him.. Shaq looks like he will be gone, and whilst I always like to see draft picks retained, I think he could be upgraded next offseason.. Beane has done a pretty good job upgrading the OL in the 2019 offseason so I am expecting he turns his attention to pass rushers next offseason.
TigerJ Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 4 hours ago, 3rdand12 said: That may have been he lacked the Exp that Phillips had in the middle. I could not say for sure, but was he spelling Star mostly ? Yes, I believe most of Harrison's reps were in relief of Star, while most of Jordan Phillips' reps were in relief of Kyle.
3rdand12 Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 20 hours ago, Buffalo30 said: A lot of worrying happening here. Take a breath. I have to disagree with you about Lawson. He was much better last season. His sack numbers did not show how good of an end he was. He hit the Qb 12 times, had 5 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles, all career highs. He was an actual disruptor at times and gained some respect from the coaching staff. He only played 43% of snaps. He improved and I expect him to improve more this season. He may not get a massive contract but if he improves he could still be signed as a rotational piece. I expect this is exactly the thinking at OBD
3rdand12 Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 16 hours ago, TigerJ said: Yes, I believe most of Harrison's reps were in relief of Star, while most of Jordan Phillips' reps were in relief of Kyle. I might hope Phillips will have developed enough to move around and really become an asset at both techniques . I vote they keep Lawson and keep a close eye on Murphy's health. Hughes will likely perform even better this year with what Bills will be doing with the front seven. I feel good about these guys.
TigerJ Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 4 hours ago, 3rdand12 said: I might hope Phillips will have developed enough to move around and really become an asset at both techniques . I vote they keep Lawson and keep a close eye on Murphy's health. Hughes will likely perform even better this year with what Bills will be doing with the front seven. I feel good about these guys. Interchangeability for both of the Phillips "brothers" would be a good thing. It's a given that Star is gong to play the nose and I'm pretty sure Oliver is going to spend most of his time at three tech, unlike his time at Houston. I just remember it being said that Harrison's most natural position is playing 1 tech given his strength and leverage even though he's undersized. And he's not been as explosive as you'd like your 3 tech to be. I recently heard Harrison say that his growing edge has been to try and become more explosive. That will certainly help him play 3 tech if that is a goal.
3rdand12 Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 23 hours ago, TigerJ said: Interchangeability for both of the Phillips "brothers" would be a good thing. It's a given that Star is gong to play the nose and I'm pretty sure Oliver is going to spend most of his time at three tech, unlike his time at Houston. I just remember it being said that Harrison's most natural position is playing 1 tech given his strength and leverage even though he's undersized. And he's not been as explosive as you'd like your 3 tech to be. I recently heard Harrison say that his growing edge has been to try and become more explosive. That will certainly help him play 3 tech if that is a goal. feel he has room to grow. Kyle likely taught him how to work hard to attain his goals. Sometimes lunch pail guy is a good complement. That was Kyle. Feel Bills are going to have a pretty formidable interior rotation with match up advantages available to make use of. we shall see how much Harrison has learned and applied . Expect him his trend to project upward : )
Boca BIlls Posted May 19, 2019 Posted May 19, 2019 On 5/17/2019 at 10:14 AM, BarleyNY said: Yeah. Until the team is 100% on Allen we can’t give up 1s or 2s in moves like that. The DE position on this team is definitely in need of attention though. I do not know what up with the Bills and Hughes. Not a peep about an extension, which worries me. Hopefully it’s happening quietly. No Shaq next season which leaves us with nothing at DE except a middling, very well paid Murphy. So for 2019 we’ve got one difference maker and two very average players. For 2020 right now all we have is Murphy. Ugh. The DE position is going to cost some cap space and/or draft capital to fix. Two difference makers would be preferable to one if we are serious about the playoffs. We also need at least one good depth player and, again, two would be better. Murphy could be a guy who can continue to start while a rookie is brought along. If we are confident in Allen, then making a big draft or trade move for such a player would be reasonable. If Hughes also can be extended we are well on our way. To round out the front 7 we will have to replace or re-sign Lorax. Also Milano will be entering his fourth season in 2020 so it’ll be proper time to give him a long term deal. We seem set for a 3 DT rotation with Oliver, H. Phillips and Star so nothing to do there except look for our #4. That’ll be J. Phillips this season but we will be looking for a cheaper alternative next. Not worried about the defensive side of the ball, Beane & Company have a good eye on defensive players.
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