How do you feel about the Bills going into the 2023 season vs going into 2022?

[Coldfronts]

The Bills are a much better team then last year on paper but, so is the whole AFC East excluding the Pats so it's a push for 2023

[John from Riverside]

I feel like we have a better team
 

But

 

I feel like other teams in our division also got better

[SaulGoodman]

14 hours ago, DQW87 said:

I feel like the only way we beat Mahomes in the playoffs is home field advantage which is almost impossible.  The AFC West has been laying down for KC for abour 5 years now giving them an automatic path to home field.  Throw in the fact that all KC's other big games almost always seem to be at home(aka Bills), it's a long shot for them to have to ever go on the road.  Very frustrating, but true.

No one lays down for the Chiefs. They’re every team’s Super Bowl. And while the AFC East looks to be stronger than the West this year, the Chargers and Raiders have both made the playoffs within the last two years, and the Chargers have one of the best rosters in the league.

[MJS]

I think the Bills are a better team, and it isn't close. I am happy they are flying under the radar. I'm pretty confident in this team.

 

Last year's hype was a lot of fun, but the team was a bit overrated. I got caught up in the hype so I was very excited.

[NewEra]

I feel similar.  That we’re one of the best 5 teams in the league and capable of winning the Super Bowl.

 

my concerns:  

-Dorsey-  is he good enough?

To be determined:

-The Diggs sitch is currently all speculation.  It’s said to be a dead issue and I think it may be over for the season but anything can happen with Diggs.  I’m hoping that his prodding is only making us better- which is a possibility, regardless of what the troll say. 

-are the WR additions wishful thinking or are they upgraded. I think Sherfield can play and Harty can be a problem for opposing DCs- but we have to wait and see
 

Causes for optimism-  

-mcdermott taking over the D.  I think our D will be better than ever as I think McD is a better DC than Frazier.  The addition of Floyd rwill somewhat offset the loss of edmunds- I think he’s gonna be a helluvq chess piece.  Not just as an edge rusher.  
 

-Kincaid- HoF.  
 

-The SB is in Vegas-  I can Uber to the game in 15 minutes, watch our boys win their first SB and Uber home.  It’s meant to be this year. 

 

 

 

[AuntieEm]

I feel good about the upgrades for the oline.  I think it will be so noticeable that they will continue beefing it up every year when it is needed.  Josh with more time to find the best open weapon is gonna be fun to watch and be plenty of passes to keep all his weapons happy and producing. 

 

 

[Beck Water]

  Really good write up, Thank you for doing this!

 

I'm going to pick out a few points to respond to.

 

First of all, I think there are several factors to consider you don't mention.  One is coaching.

 

HC: McDermott is starting to lose a number of the fans because of 13 seconds, Bungle vs. the Bengals, and now Diggsgate.  The unknown question is, to what degree has he kept or lost the locker room?  I think he has the well-earned loyalty of a number of vets.  Overall, do guys still "Trust the Process" and does he still have their respect?  How do the new faces take all this?  Unknown to us fans.

McDermott stood to lose the locker room at several previous points, for example, when he benched Tyrod Taylor for Nate Peterman.  He kept it by being willing to stand up and say "I made a mistake".  I think the players will actually respect McDermott for defending Diggs and saying that Diggs was given permission and untrue and unfair stuff is being said, and will pull together against pundits ripping into him.  But who knows.

 

DC: Are we better with McDermott as DC than Frazier?  I'm going to be a Tolkien elf here and say "No and Yes".  I think McDermott will be more aggressive and more willing to make changes during a game than Frazier was.   And I think he'll be able to focus less on D during games than Frazier could.  Last, are there "too many cooks" trying to guide the defense?  Overall I'll say worse off, but the question is, will we get to a place where it counts and when we do, will we be better then?

 

OC: Dorsey is the big unknown.  Will he be better in his 2nd year?  Most people have that potential in their 2nd year on the job.  I think it took Daboll 3 years here to really click, though.  We'll see.  There's still the "too many cooks" question on offense, too, with Shula, Brady, and Dorsey all trying to work together, then Kelly Skipper in the mix somewhere.

 

Another is team psychology.  Is the team pissed off and ready to prove they've got it in 2023?  Or are they scarred by the Bungle with the Bengals and 13 seconds?  Beane has turned over about 1/3 of the 90 man roster, which is typical.  He's moved on from 12 FA and cut Isaiah McKenzie.  Has he moved on from the right guys?  Time will tell.

 

Now, to your post.

 

16 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

Linebacker - Worse in 2023

The Bills entered into 2022 with Milano and Edumonds two high-quality young LB's and Edumonds was entering into a contract year so extra motivation on him, the depth at LB was not really all that great. Going into 2023 Milano is still there but Edumonds is going being replaced by Klein a decent vet and a third-round pick in Dorian Williams. I know a lot of people on here weren't Edumonds fans and I agree with the decision not to resign him. But the Bills will likely see a decline in LB play unless Williams or another player on the roster overachieves. 

 

The defense overall - Slightly worse going into 2023

 

I liked the defense in 2022 to be the best defense if not at least a top 3 unit going into 2023. But with the likely decline of LB play I think the Bills defense may regress a bit but should still be a top 7-10 unit in the league and could easily be a top 5 unit. But I do think that the defense will feel the absence of Edumonds and there are some more holes going into 2023. Still, the defense should be a good unit.

 

I agree that overall the defense will likely be worse.  The Eagles were 8th, the Chiefs 16th in PA on D.  The Bengals were 17th, the Rams 15th.  If we can manage to keep our D in the top half of the league and pull out all the stops against the best teams, we can be competitive.  Remember in 2020 when we played for the Championship, we were 16th on points, 14th on yards.  We can get where we want to go with a D that's just good, not great, provided we don't have key injuries.

Linebacker - I don't think it's a sho-in that Edmunds is being replaced by Klein.  I think they have hopes for Terrell Bernard in his 2nd season, and they also like Dodson.  I think when the dust settles, Williams will turn out to be the best of the lot.

 

Safety - I like what they did with safety.  The aging Hyde and Poyer are backstopped with Damar (if he can come back all the way, he showed he can play) and Rapp, who played on a championship team. 

 

Another topic but tying it in here - for those who believe Frazier was driven out or kicked to the curb, I think Frazier knew after the Jan meetings, the Bills weren't going to have the player personnel to field a top-3 defense again this season.  There was going to need to be MORE work put in and MORE adjustments to try for capable D without a strong MLB.  I think Frazier looked at that and said "how am I gonna compete for a HC job when my D plummets from 1st or 2nd to 17th, when I couldn't get looks as the guy leading the #1 or #2 D?" and decided he needed to try a different approach.

 

16 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

QB - Even

Josh is still the franchise QB and the backups are of even quality. Not much to say here. 

 

I think Keenum had a vet knowledge of defense that Kyle Allen can't match.  Kyle Allen has been able to play at times, more recently than Keenum put up good play.  What I don't know is if either Barkley or Kyle Allen can help to rein Josh in.  I think they are both too much "off season friends and buddies" there.  So can the coaches rein him in as necessary?  I don't know.  Overall I agree, "push".

 

16 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

WR- Even 

The Bills in 2022 had Diggs and not a lot else proven otherwise. Going into 2023 the Bills are in a similar spot. Davis disappointed in 2022 but going into 2023 the hope is that on a contract year with a full season under his belt as the WR2 maybe he can perform better. Hardy and Sheffield are nice adds to replace Mac and Kumerow but aren't major upgrades either. Shakir has a year under his belt but overall the feeling about the WR group is about the same as last season.

 

I like the changes the Bills made at WR.  I feel Trent Sherfield has the potential to be as good on ST as Kumerow and a proven better actual WR.  I think Shakir was showing signs he was starting to "get it" last season.  IF he stays healthy, I think Hardy has a floor ~McKenzie and a ceiling to be more. 

 

At the risk of sounding weird, the real question at WR is in the TE room.  Kincaid was actually drafted to be a slot type receiver.  Can he return the offense to potency over the middle of the field?  Can he fill at least part of the role Beasley used to fill?  We Shall See.

 

I like what Beane did with the roster, overall.  Overall, I think at the end of the day, he can't resist putting more resources into D than O with all the late adds in FA on D, so I'm worried he hasn't done enough at WR.  But, that is a position that depends upon interaction with the QB to be effective so I suppose you can't add too many mouths to feed.

 

I really think the questionmarks for the Bills are mental and emotional, not football skill and ability.  Are they still a hungry team?  I thought they began to believe their own PR a bit at times last year and 2021 and were kind of coasting through the season to grab their chance in the playoffs.  Has that been addressed?  And perhaps most key, do the coaches still have the locker room?

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by Beck Water

[Green Lightning]

2 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

Worse. Harder schedule, tougher division, seemingly some internal stuff going on with Diggs/Allen/McDermott.

 

They are still a playoff team, but I wouldn’t at all be shocked if Miami wins the division and the Bills are one and done in the playoffs.

I would be shocked if you thought anything else. 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

I don't have as much excitement as last year.  Probably because of all the hype and the Von Miller signing.  I was incredibly anxious for the season to start.

I think maybe I still have some hangover from last season...it was definitely an emotional season both on field and off the field stuff.

 

I still feel confident though.  I'm more confident about our offensive line minus Spencer Brown but I think at least our guards won't suck.

I like we added some more beef to the DL.  Miller sounds like he could be ready week 1.  He hasn't lost a step, he's one of those different guys.

 

I feel really good about Kincaid as the other big time option for Josh.

 

Our secondary is older.  I don't know who is playing MLB.  Does the DL crumble again if Von goes down?  Will Davis disappoint again?  These are my concerns.

Overall, I don't have less confidence but just aren't as giddy like last year.

[atomicpwrd]

Special Teams - slightly better.  I don't the punt god even made it out of training camp last year, so the kicking game will be the same.  The return game may be better with Harty and and Hines.

 

Secondary - better.  Tre further removed from surgery, two 2nd year corners who got good experience last year, plus the addition of Dantzler.  Then both safeties are healthy (for now) and I think Rapp is going to be a bigger addition than most realize...

 

LB - Worse...we lost a stud in the middle.  He will probably be replaced by a LB committee depending on down and distance.  I expect to see Rapp and Klein a lot at first.  Maybe Williams can start getting more time as the season progresses.

 

DL - Much better - We only had Von half the season and he looks to be on track to get on the field sooner than expected.  Adding Ford was huge and Floyd is gonna a problem for a lot of offenses - especially when paired with Von, and especially later in the season when its most important.

 

Defense overall - better - addition by subtraction with Frazier out of the picture.

 

QB - even - he could actually be a little better if he stays healthy and reduces turn-overs.  Also, we Allen a bunch of help so he doesn't have to be Superman every game...

 

RB - Better - we have better variety in the offensive backfield.  I think if we use them enough, Harris is a slight upgrade over Singletary and Cook could be the key to the offense.  Murray adds something we lacked last year - size and power.  That will help preserve Allen's health.

 

WR - Better - again...more variety in here.  Davis starts off healthy, Diggs is still Diggs, Sherfield is an under-rated signing and Harty will be dangerous if he can stay healthy.  Maybe later in the season Shorter helps out.

 

TE - Better - you gotta like Kincaid but I wonder how quickly he will come up to speed.  Still, its easy to see him becoming Allen's security blanket sooner than later.

 

OL - a little better.  It feels like we improved on the interior.  The tackles are both somewhat suspect, but they are the same players manning both spots.  Brown should have a full off-season this year and I look for improvement.

 

Offense overall - better - better line play in and of itself will help.  I think we are better at every offensive position except QB, and the improved talent elsewhere will make the QB better in the end.  As long as Dorsey progresses, the offense should improve.

 

Team overall - I believe its better.  The D may not be statistically better, but I think they will play better situational football with Frazier out of the picture.  The offense will be better because Josh has a lot more help on the line and at skill positions.  Dorsey should be able to dial up more varied personnel groupings to take advantage of the D is giving us and to dictate more to the D.

[KCNC]

I agree with your assessment

[dpberr]

I feel a sense of uneasiness. There's a sense there's something off with this team of players, and it wasn't resolved this offseason.  

 

The Bengals game (no one showed up by the fans), Frazier's unusual exit and Stefon Diggs's absence at camp are all symptoms.  

 

 

[hondo in seattle]

Despite the SB buzz, I wasn't super confident going into 2022.  New OC, new starting WR2, new starting slot receiver, crap OL...  

 

I'm probably a bit more confident now than I was last year at the same time.  With meager resources, I think Beane's done a really nice job improving the roster.  

[RoyBatty is alive]

16 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

I felt much better last offseason.  People were saying we were the favorite to win the SB.

Now they are saying we are the 8th best team in the league.

 

We are due for a regression year.  That schedule is brutal.

 

Not sure the team is improved where it matters.

 

 

I believe we have learned that predicting schedules so far it is way too premature.

 

Look at last year, we opened up against the SB Champs on the road.  Heavy underdogs and we crushed them as they were one of the worst teams in the league.

 

As far as last year, the hype was through the stratosphere, I think (hope) last year and the way it ended was the "new era Bills regression".

[TampaBillsJunkie]

I feel better, because odds are we will not have the kind of adversary we had in 2022 and if we do, this team will be better prepared for it. I have confidence in the front office and I think we made more moves than anticipated given the salary cap restraints.  This roster has depth and we are going to cut some people that can start on bottom rosters. 

My overall is that the D-Line and Secondary will be much better.  LB is a big? But a good pass rush and good back end can negate a lot of that. A big plus will be McDermott being more aggressive on D. I hated Frazier's play calling with the talent they had on D last year.  

Offense is going to be better too. We plugged holes on the OL and that's where it starts. We are better in the slot. Better at RB and Josh is... JOSH. As long as he is focused and healthy, we are going to be in the thick of a championship run. 

The schedule looks like a bear and it probably will be. Our division is way tougher than any other in the AFC. But it's nice not to be the anointed one's going in. Put a chip on your shoulder and your nose to the grindstone, don't take anyone for granted and we got a real shot!

 

The key as always is to be healthy for the playoffs. Last year we gimped in and it caught up to us. 

The other thing I like is that we got BIGGER.  We had too many lightweights in the trenches and that weak spot was cleaned up. 

I'm pretty excited to see what McDermott dials up on D and the progression of Josh and Dorsey heading into year 2. I think they learned a lot and will apply it to the offense and we will see a more balanced, less reliance on Josh to run kind of offense. 

[Royale with Cheese]

5 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

I believe we have learned that predicting schedules so far it is way too premature.

 

Look at last year, we opened up against the SB Champs on the road.  Heavy underdogs and we crushed them as they were one of the worst teams in the league.

 

As far as last year, the hype was through the stratosphere, I think (hope) last year and the way it ended was the "new era Bills regression".

 

Bills were actually favored in the Rams games but you're right about everything else.

 

The Rams were supposed to be good.

The Bucs were supposed to be good.

The Broncos were supposed to be good.

The Packers were supposed to be good.

The Colts were supposed to contend for a WC

The Titans were supposed to contend for a playoff spot or the division.

The Eagles weren't supposed to be Super Bowl contenders.

 

Every year teams surprise and disappoint.  

Same thing next year.

 

Between both conferences, you will probably see at least 4 new teams in the playoffs meaning 4 from last year won't.  

 

[JerseyBills]

Completely disagree on DL and WR

 

Ford and Floyd huge additions. Von won't be out long , possibly out there week 1 but we lost nobody and gained a very very good DT and elite edge. Way better

 

WR we cut McKenzie,  2nd year Shakir and Sherfield/Harty are big improvements 

[wppete]

This years roster is much better then

lasts years roster. Also more experience for the young guys so O feel much better this year. 

[Success]

The team we have going into 2023 is significantly better than last year's team, imo.

 

I think for the 1st time in the JA era, we'll have an o-line that doesn't have a weak link or 2.  Also for the 1st time, we'll have an actual running game - that doesn't involve Allen.  Harris is going to change the dynamic of this offense.

 

We also have an improved pass rush, imo, and will be tougher & more physical overall.

 

Tougher schedule this year (on paper) - but I love this team heading into the season.  I feel as optimistic as I ever have.

 

[RoyBatty is alive]

As for each sector:

 

Secondary: Push...Hyde and Poyer one year older both presumably health, Damar major question mark, Rapp is a positive, CB play should improve as White MAY have recovered more and still have hope for Kaiir Elam to transform into a stud.  Se what a second season for a healthy Benford can translate to.

 

LB:  Push.  Finally no more questions about Edmunds, we will see what he has in Chicago.  I am a huge believer in the alleged undersized rookie Dorian Williams.

 

D Line: Modestly Better.  Continued growth the Rousseau, Von will be modestly better due to availability but lose with his age and ACL recovery.  Poona and Floyd will be both be major additions.  See if Ed Oliver can get more awareness and live up to his new contract.

 

Coaching: No more Frazier to blame on 13 seconds, not all on McD.

 

Defense overall, modestly improved.

 

Running Back

Much better.  FINALLY we have some speed at the position.  Cook could have a breakout year, especially with the improvement in the interior O Line.  Cook was the rookie victim of his first carry a fumble which put him in the doghouse, yet he STILL had and impressive 5.7 yards a carry and easily could have had 1,000 had they trusted him more.  Plus he is dynamic as a pass catcher and could even line up as WR.  To compliment him  we have a legit power broker in Damien Harris.  A full year of Hines and I will say almost a plus no more Singletary and Moss (just two mediocre slow RBs).

 

OLine: Much Better.  MAYBE we have solved the guard positions with Torrence who easily could have been a rd1 selection then McGovern/Edwards on the opposite side.  Bates is serviceable (and play multiple positions).  Also have Broker On tackle, one more year for Spencer long to "get it", Dawkins should be hitting his prime.  We have Shell from Miami, great pickup.  Don't sleep on URFA Gouraige from Florida, my dark horse to make the PS then move up.

 

TE: Better.  Addition of Kincaid speaks for itself.  He can open up so many creative offensive mismatches.  I am also a big believer in him.

 

WR: Modestly worse.  Diggs getting older and cautiously optimistic his attitude is on correct.  Davis, a crap shot.  Hardy, Sheffield and Shorter (potentially) decent backups.

 

Overall I would say the team has improved.  Now I am putting a lot on our top 3 rookies (yes I know McD doesn't like to play rookies much), I think all three of them will develop into solid starters and the ceiling on Kincaid is very high imo. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by RoyBatty is alive