Even if we miss the playoffs....

[Don Otreply]

Yup, we have some damn good younger players on this team going forward, I see the release of several main stay players to be replaced by said talent, what remains a question is what has been brought up repeatedly as of late…,

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

1 hour ago, BillsBlue said:

I have an odd feeling we'll make it in but if we don't there's a whole ton of positives to be taken from this season. 

 

- Kincaid is a true stud, he will be a game breaker for our offense next year no doubt.

- Bernard is a stud as well and a playmaker that this defense needs, he's better than Edmunds.

-Cook is a baller and will be even better next season!!

-Spencer Brown is a legit RT for the future!!

-Cyrus will be a monster next year as he was better than average this year as a rook. 

-Shakir looks to be a playmaker and will be even better next year out of the slot(Beasely replacement finally).

-We now know Gabe is not it and can cut bate and draft a real #2/ eventual Diggs replacement.

-Ed Oliver is worth the contract and has finally got it all together.

 

There's a lot of positives that have come out of this frustrating season imo. I'm a glass half full guy!! Hats off to Beanes drafting!!! We're going to be okay we have a lot of young talent at our nucleus now 🦬 

For the most part I agree with the individual points.

 

But 2024 is going to be rough. Our salary cap is stretched near breaking even if we pull every lever available. We are either going to be rolling with an unknown as HC and losing a promising OC, bringing back a troubled OC, or throwing a QB coach in over his head as HC. Our core is aging and while decent we have yet to see superstar play at DE.

 

2025...with Kincaid, Bernard, Cook, Torrance and Oliver pulling their weight I think we are going to get another pass of a young core in Josh's prime.

[HOUSE]

Ed's Toe is completely healed 

Another positive

[ngbills]

As many others have said a year in the books is a negative. Its wasting JA in his prime years and the number of aging starters greatly outweighs our ability to replace them. I dont think there are any positives that outweigh that. And to address the specific positives mentioned most have a flip side.

 

Kincaid - He looks like a legit starting TE. However, we have yet to see the true game changing potential. Right now he is short target getting a lot of check downs. That is not a game breaker. Add in Knox is under contract adds in to the mix here. And they actually used Knox as more of a game breaker which is odd.  

 

Bernard - I am not as high on Bernard. He can be a decent complementary LB. I dont see him being a long term guy that we sign to a second contract.  

 

Cook - Cook reminds me of the CJ Spiller experiment. We see flashes and hear the talk of his skillset. Yet he is used sparingly for large chunks of time and never used the way he is sold. He is likely gone after his rookie deal. 

 

Brown - 100% disagree. I think they look to upgrade and he is a non-starter next year. 

 

Cyrus - So far so good.

 

Shakir - JAG. Will have a decent 3-5 catch game and then 0 catch for a few weeks. Not a building block. 

 

Davis - Needing to replace his is not a positive as it will require big resources either an early draft pick or FA money. 

 

Oliver - Has looked good except for the occasional bonehead penalty. He is a building block of the D. 

 

[The Jokeman]

1 hour ago, Over 29 years of fanhood said:

Are you inferring Rapp, Benford? Douglas? 

I'm hoping we extend Douglas another 2-3 seasons, as he could be White's replacement as early as next year. 

[DCofNC]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Honestly I think I agree with everything you said. 
 

I even believe next year’s starting safety duo is already on the roster. 

Who? The S depth on this team is pathetically bad.  Are you planning to convert corners?

15 minutes ago, WhitewalkerInPhilly said:

For the most part I agree with the individual points.

 

But 2024 is going to be rough. Our salary cap is stretched near breaking even if we pull every lever available. We are either going to be rolling with an unknown as HC and losing a promising OC, bringing back a troubled OC, or throwing a QB coach in over his head as HC. Our core is aging and while decent we have yet to see superstar play at DE.

 

2025...with Kincaid, Bernard, Cook, Torrance and Oliver pulling their weight I think we are going to get another pass of a young core in Josh's prime.

I’m sadly convinced they will run it back again in 2024, same coaches, same basic roster and 2025 will be the new coach and a reset year.  So they won’t be competitive again until 2026 and Josh will be creeping up on a decade in the league as a guy who hammers his body.. hope I’m wrong, but I think the pundits had it right, the window is basically closed. 

[26TrapDraw]

2 hours ago, BillsBlue said:

I have an odd feeling we'll make it in but if we don't there's a whole ton of positives to be taken from this season. 

 

- Kincaid is a true stud, he will be a game breaker for our offense next year no doubt.

- Bernard is a stud as well and a playmaker that this defense needs, he's better than Edmunds.

-Cook is a baller and will be even better next season!!

-Spencer Brown is a legit RT for the future!!

-Cyrus will be a monster next year as he was better than average this year as a rook. 

-Shakir looks to be a playmaker and will be even better next year out of the slot(Beasely replacement finally).

-We now know Gabe is not it and can cut bate and draft a real #2/ eventual Diggs replacement.

-Ed Oliver is worth the contract and has finally got it all together.

 

There's a lot of positives that have come out of this frustrating season imo. I'm a glass half full guy!! Hats off to Beanes drafting!!! We're going to be okay we have a lot of young talent at our nucleus now 🦬 

Here is today's "participation ribbon" mentality perfectly encapsulated in obvious positives but positives that make what should be considered an utter failure to reach the post season " warm and fuzzy and positive"

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

8 minutes ago, DCofNC said:

 

I’m sadly convinced they will run it back again in 2024, same coaches, same basic roster and 2025 will be the new coach and a reset year.  So they won’t be competitive again until 2026 and Josh will be creeping up on a decade in the league as a guy who hammers his body.. hope I’m wrong, but I think the pundits had it right, the window is basically closed. 

 

To be fair, I don't know if there is a ton of choice in the matter and running it back might be the best of bad options.

 

The Bills are currently ~$30 million over the expected cap for next year. While that in and of itself is not hard to get out of, I highly doubt they are going to be bidding on high priced free agents. With the Von Miller situation looming with a lot of uncertainty while his deal could be reworked, how much money do we want to backend on a player in the twilight of his career? Dawson Knox (while I enjoy the player) has not lived up to his contract so far but it can't even be looked at until 2025. Is Stephon Diggs really as unhappy as the media and his brother keep spouting, because if so he's not going to get locked in for longer to make cap room. I currently place 0% on probablility that Tre White is back and 100% speed Week 1 of 2024.

 

That's a lot to saddle on a fresh young Head Coach, and I don't know any retreads that don't have the same or worse warts than McDermott? And if Joe Brady looks like the real thing, how do we cut bait on McDermott and keep him around?

 

 

[DC Greg]

2 hours ago, BillsBlue said:

I have an odd feeling we'll make it in but if we don't there's a whole ton of positives to be taken from this season. 

 

- Kincaid is a true stud, he will be a game breaker for our offense next year no doubt.

- Bernard is a stud as well and a playmaker that this defense needs, he's better than Edmunds.

-Cook is a baller and will be even better next season!!

-Spencer Brown is a legit RT for the future!!

-Cyrus will be a monster next year as he was better than average this year as a rook. 

-Shakir looks to be a playmaker and will be even better next year out of the slot(Beasely replacement finally).

-We now know Gabe is not it and can cut bate and draft a real #2/ eventual Diggs replacement.

-Ed Oliver is worth the contract and has finally got it all together.

 

There's a lot of positives that have come out of this frustrating season imo. I'm a glass half full guy!! Hats off to Beanes drafting!!! We're going to be okay we have a lot of young talent at our nucleus now 🦬 

 

All of this is true and there's tons of reasons to be optimistic about the roster and the overall talent level on the team. Unfortunately, I've come to believe that none of it will matter with our current head coach in place. He keeps regressing and has actually gotten worse on in-game decisions as his career has gone on. He's now actively losing games for the Bills singlehandedly with his terrible decisions.

 

There's no way the team doesn't realize that, and no matter how talented they are, I don't think they're going to go very far with McDermott still in charge. One of two things will happen. 1) they'll make the playoffs, but he will fail to have his defense ready on a final drive, he'll call some unnecessary timeout that helps the other team, he'll have the wrong personnel on the field that causes a game changing penalty, or god knows what else that will end their season, or 2) he will do that a number of times throughout the regular season like he has this year and the team will just lose faith, quit on him, and miss the playoffs.

[BADOLBILZ]

5 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

So can't exactly agree with these, the first I just don't, maybe he's managed to not be complete liability in some games down the stretch but he also has forced us to game plan assistance because he gets beat so ***** often. Feel like wee need a better RT if nothing else we should draft someone to decently high for the job if Brown wants to keep the job win it.

 

Second one, I'm less disagreeing that Shakir is coming along as a playmaker so much as I don't know if calling him a Beasley replacement is accurate, just not sure that's the role he's been filling.

 

What do you mean by "if nothing else"?     The problem with the complaints about Spencer Brown is that people don't have specific players that he should be replaced with.    There are literally MORE good QB's in the league now than good RT's........because there are less good RT's than good players at any other offensive position in the league..........but some people think you can just throw a high pick at the position and it's solved.   

 

Agree about Shakir.   He's a tweener.   That's filling a notable role this season because the Bills WR corps is so weak after Diggs..........but if they get a legit second outside option and Kincaid essentially becomes an every-snap slot receiver in 2024 then it's easy to envision Shakir NOT continuing to trend up.

 

 

[Green Lightning]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

For sure, I think we will have a pretty deep reset with older guys. 
 

I think our DL room is going to look crazy different next year. Only Groot, Ed, and King Johnathan are under contract. Technically and Von too, but we need to see how that plays out. 
 

DT ages well, I think Jones will be back.  

We need a healthy Daquon back. And I'd keep Linval around as well.

2 hours ago, BillsBlue said:

I have an odd feeling we'll make it in but if we don't there's a whole ton of positives to be taken from this season. 

 

- Kincaid is a true stud, he will be a game breaker for our offense next year no doubt.

- Bernard is a stud as well and a playmaker that this defense needs, he's better than Edmunds.

-Cook is a baller and will be even better next season!!

-Spencer Brown is a legit RT for the future!!

-Cyrus will be a monster next year as he was better than average this year as a rook. 

-Shakir looks to be a playmaker and will be even better next year out of the slot(Beasely replacement finally).

-We now know Gabe is not it and can cut bate and draft a real #2/ eventual Diggs replacement.

-Ed Oliver is worth the contract and has finally got it all together.

 

There's a lot of positives that have come out of this frustrating season imo. I'm a glass half full guy!! Hats off to Beanes drafting!!! We're going to be okay we have a lot of young talent at our nucleus now 🦬 

Even if all of this works out we will still have a HC that specializes in late game fails. In tight and important games, he's writing the book on amazing ways to piss away games.

[Pokebball]

1 hour ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

Unfortunately - he wasn't at the height of his power in... a number of games this year.  He's partially responsible for where the team sits currently.

 

Jets - 4 Turnovers - 3 and out in OT

Jaguars - 4 punts to start, 6 overall and a Interception, almost 2:1 TOP advantage

Broncos - 2 picks and a fumble.  First pick took points off board, 2nd pick gave denver points

 

He's not solely responsible, WR drops, teammate fumbles etc.  But for a supposed best player in the game, his mistakes have cost the team wins.  8 games in a row with an interception.  

The Bills are top 5 this season in points scored. While there are mistakes made on the O side of the ball, of course, the real problem isn't the offense. Too many think it's simple, the O needs to score more than they are. This really isn't true.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

6 minutes ago, Bermuda Triangle said:

Who are they?

I think Benford is a lock to replace Poyer at SS. 
 

I’m going to speak Elam at FS into existence lol Not to start, to compete.

 

Taron Johnson to FS would extend his career and he would be elite. 
 

[Nihilarian]

2 hours ago, loyal2dagame said:

Marino missed the playoffs 7 time out of 17 years. 

Favre missed the playoffs multiple times. 

 

I hope it doesn't happen to Allen and the Bills this year,  or ever. 

 

But if and when it does, the sky won't be falling.

Man, so many Bills fans complaining about the HC & GM, and look at the Green Bay Packers with an SB QB and 3x MVP in Aaron Rodgers. He missed the playoffs 4x and his teams went 6-9, 6-10, 8-7-1, 6-9-1. They fired Mike McCarthy and haven't been back to an SB not even for a loss.

 

And he played in a crappy division with the Lions, Bears, and Vikings.  Even Brett Favre missed the playoffs 5x. 

 

Wanna blame someone, blame Ken Dorsey who tanked the offense against the Jags, Patriots, Bengals, and Broncos. Josh Allen was the QB for those games and the Bills still lost...and almost lost against the Giants and Bucs.

[corta765]

2 hours ago, BillsBlue said:

I agree about it not being acceptable but I didn't get into that end of things, to me that's a given in the situation. I'm trying to stay positive here about the future of the team. We really do have a lot of budding stars...

Player wise it is not nearly as dire as it has been made out to be. New core is budding and if they can add a young good WR it really has some good long term potential.

[BillsBlue]

2 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Negatives, ANOTHER  wasted year in Josh's prime.  Poyer,hyde,tre, von all need to go.  Huge cap hit to deal with,mid tier draft slot, and Gabe Davis needs to be replaced.

 

No way about it, 2024 will be a step back, which is why us crapping the bed this year sucks so badly

I think it'll be a step forward imo, poyer and Hyde were trash this year, tre hasn't barely played....Gabe needed to sink or swim, he sank...we need another great draft and we'll be fine imo....I don’t disagree about mclappy and I want Joe Brady back, possibly as hc with a different dc

1 hour ago, Don Otreply said:

Yup, we have some damn good younger players on this team going forward, I see the release of several main stay players to be replaced by said talent, what remains a question is what has been brought up repeatedly as of late…,

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

That's how I feel tyty

[Bill from NYC]

3 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

Trent Edwards has a ton of poise and CJ Spiller should be better next year. Can’t wait to see George Wilson with a full offseason at safety!

So true. Spiller is excellent “in space.”

[Simon]

56 minutes ago, Green Lightning said:

And I'd keep Linval around as well.

 

I don't think Big Goon is going to be attending any training camps at this point but I'd be happy to see the Bills sign him mid-season again.

[ngbills]

1 hour ago, Nihilarian said:

Man, so many Bills fans complaining about the HC & GM, and look at the Green Bay Packers with an SB QB and 3x MVP in Aaron Rodgers. He missed the playoffs 4x and his teams went 6-9, 6-10, 8-7-1, 6-9-1. They fired Mike McCarthy and haven't been back to an SB not even for a loss.

 

And he played in a crappy division with the Lions, Bears, and Vikings.  Even Brett Favre missed the playoffs 5x. 

 

Wanna blame someone, blame Ken Dorsey who tanked the offense against the Jags, Patriots, Bengals, and Broncos. Josh Allen was the QB for those games and the Bills still lost...and almost lost against the Giants and Bucs.

Rodgers - After his first year as a starter he was in the playoffs 8 straight years. He got hurt and then they missed the playoffs when he was 34 years old. From 26 to 33 he was in the playoffs every year. He was then back in two conference championships in his late 30's. 

[PBF81]

3 hours ago, loyal2dagame said:

Marino missed the playoffs 7 time out of 17 years. 

Favre missed the playoffs multiple times. 

 

I hope it doesn't happen to Allen and the Bills this year,  or ever. 

 

But if and when it does, the sky won't be falling.

 

BTW, I just looked, of the top-11 teams ranked in scoring offense last season, only one managed to miss the playoffs, which was Detroit, which was ranked 29th in Defense, not 5th.  

 

We'll see, and I'll run the numbers at season's end with our actual final rankings, but there's good reason to believe that we'll be in historically superlatively bad territory in this way.  

 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by PBF81