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Dawkins, Saffold and Knox added to Pro Bowl


Buffalo_Stampede

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15 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saffold?

 

According to outside experts (not counting or even looked at PFF) he has played well.

I think Allen and the scheme which is designed to redirect players up middle makes some linemen look better and some worse.

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I watch the Pro Bowl year cuz technically it is football and I accept it for what it is.  It used to be a good game, but over the last 15-20 years it has been getting harder to watch.  When it was on Hawaii at least guys wanted to go (which is why they had it there to begin with.

 

Now that its flag football with Eli and Peyton as coaches, I'm out. Sounds like a clown show. I won't watch it.

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16 hours ago, Chris from Rochester said:

Dawkins was pretty terrible this season.  

Not that much different than previous seasons.  I rely more on pff when it comes to line play because I suck at evaluating it.  I don't really understand why people are down on Dawkins when he was our best o-lineman.  Pass blocking was in the very good range and run blocking was in the average range.  Those aren't pro bowl numbers but they're still slightly above average which is what he is at left tackle.

 

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58 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

Not that much different than previous seasons.  I rely more on pff when it comes to line play because I suck at evaluating it.  I don't really understand why people are down on Dawkins when he was our best o-lineman.  Pass blocking was in the very good range and run blocking was in the average range.  Those aren't pro bowl numbers but they're still slightly above average which is what he is at left tackle.

 

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Even if we just go by PFF grades it was his worst season in 3 years - and the eye test supports that too. 

 

They graded him less favourably in the post season - 7 pressures given up in 2 games (as against 30 in 17). I actually think he struggled down the stretch. Seemed to play his worst football in December and January. 

 

It isn't that I am down on Dion. Dion is an above average left tackle. But a guy with his body type who has had weight gain issues that have been acknowledged is not likely to get better on the outside at this stage of his career and given the Bills have a major need inside if there is a route to a left tackle who could be an upgrade (or even a lateral move quality wise like a Jake Matthews) and you could move Dion inside where the extra bit of weight isn't as big of an issue I think you immediately have a much superior oline. 

 

I accept the Bills are likely not going to do it. But I was open to it as an option last offseason. This offseason it would be my #1 option on the OL and I feel like everything should be on the table in upgrading that unit.

 

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Can we just name AFC and NFC all star teams and call it a day? It's obvious no one actually cares about the game so why bother?  The current system renders the designation meaningless. If I was an owner, GM, or coach, and one of my team's premier players tore an ACL playing in this joke of a game I'd be furious.   It's not like the college all star games where lesser known talent tries to get noticed.  

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1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Even if we just go by PFF grades it was his worst season in 3 years - and the eye test supports that too. 

 

They graded him less favourably in the post season - 7 pressures given up in 2 games (as against 30 in 17). I actually think he struggled down the stretch. Seemed to play his worst football in December and January. 

 

It isn't that I am down on Dion. Dion is an above average left tackle. But a guy with his body type who has had weight gain issues that have been acknowledged is not likely to get better on the outside at this stage of his career and given the Bills have a major need inside if there is a route to a left tackle who could be an upgrade (or even a lateral move quality wise like a Jake Matthews) and you could move Dion inside where the extra bit of weight isn't as big of an issue I think you immediately have a much superior oline. 

 

I accept the Bills are likely not going to do it. But I was open to it as an option last offseason. This offseason it would be my #1 option on the OL and I feel like everything should be on the table in upgrading that unit.

 

It's an interesting thought as coming out of college I thought the Bills would play him at guard.  It's a bit of a projection as he'd be making elite guard money.  Maybe he can become elite at that position and better suited long term there.  Getting an equivalent or better left tackle would be the challenge though.

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10 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

It's an interesting thought as coming out of college I thought the Bills would play him at guard.  It's a bit of a projection as he'd be making elite guard money.  Maybe he can become elite at that position and better suited long term there.  Getting an equivalent or better left tackle would be the challenge though.

 

He played 2 series there in one game as a rookie when Richie went out and later returned and he was mauling people. Now granted, a long time ago and a small sample size, but I have always thought he was a good NFL tackle who would be an elite NFL guard. In terms of money - he is an average $15m cap hit over the final two years of his deal. That is good guard money - it would put him 6th best paid just behind the really elite guys (except Martin who signed his ages ago) Nelson, Jenkins, Bitonio, Thuney and Scherff who isn't quite elite but it very good and moved as a FA. 

 

Agree re. finding an equivalent left tackle. The reason I suggest Jake Matthews who is in the same top 15 but not top 10 category as Dion is that Atlanta are not good and have two younger OL coming up in the next couple of years they might want to pay - Kaleb McGary their RT who is a FA this year and Chris Lindstrom who is currently due to play on the tag next year. If they decide to pay the younger guys then moving Matthews off the books makes some sense.... especially for maybe a day 2 pick. His cap number in 2023 is a huge $28m but there is an easy restructure because he has no guaranteed new money left on his deal beyond this year. So you can give him a chunk now and spread the hit out a bit / backload it. It isn't an easy answer, and maybe Atlanta wouldn't do the deal anyway, and I doubt the Bills would actually do it but that is what I'd try to do. 

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