Stefan Diggs Skips OTA Texans

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Saying all the right things.

 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:03 PM, chongli said:

I didn't realize he changed numbers. New number, new attitude? Nawwwww....

 

 

No separation! lol

[Putin]

On 5/23/2024 at 10:42 AM, thenorthremembers said:

The guy is a walking distraction, and I am glad he is gone.   

Josh is that you ?? 

[GoBills808]

30 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saying all the right things.

 

 

Guy just oozes insincerity

[thenorthremembers]

27 minutes ago, Putin said:

Josh is that you ?? 

Freaked me out a bit because my first name actually is Josh.

[Alphadawg7]

31 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saying all the right things.

 

 

 

The "drama" here IMHO was still over blown.  People tried so hard to make this huge riff between him and Josh, and it was just never to the degree of what it was IMHO.  I think the downfall of the Diggs era here had a lot more to do with Diggs losing patience and faith this team had enough to get over the hump at the back end of his career, especially staring down a lot of cap casualties creating a transition period here.  

 

Not saying Diggs wasn't a distraction, but I think a large part of that was the media never letting go...always trying to push the issue which led to Diggs toying a bit with them as his way of pushing back.  Not saying that was the right approach, but its been who he's been a while now.  

 

If we listen to what Beane, Diggs, and others have said, a trade does not appear to have been definite.  Sounded more like a trade was being explored but only if it had made sense and both sides seemed open to a new start.  I don't for a second think Beane would have traded Diggs if all he could get was a 5th round for example.  

 

I mean the fact they elected him a team captain for 2023 says the rift between him and Josh wasn't this huge thing people assumed it was.  No way they make him a captain if him and Josh are on the outs.  However, I do think both Josh and Diggs though are equally enjoying the fresh start though.  I just don't believe there is some deep rift, long term feud, or bad animosity between them like a lot of other people think.  I think there is still a lot of mutual respect and love for what they did for each other on the field and their time together even if they a fresh start was really the best path forward.  

 

[Rigotz]

4 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

The "drama" here IMHO was still over blown.  People tried so hard to make this huge riff between him and Josh, and it was just never to the degree of what it was IMHO.  I think the downfall of the Diggs era here had a lot more to do with Diggs losing patience and faith this team had enough to get over the hump at the back end of his career, especially staring down a lot of cap casualties creating a transition period here.  

 

Not saying Diggs wasn't a distraction, but I think a large part of that was the media never letting go...always trying to push the issue which led to Diggs toying a bit with them as his way of pushing back.  Not saying that was the right approach, but its been who he's been a while now.  

 

 

I don't think there was ever a problem between Josh and Diggs. It seems clear to me, at least.

 

The problem was with Diggs and the coaching staff. Maybe it's McDermott, maybe it was Dorsey and Brady, maybe he just didn't fit the team-first mentality.

 

You heard a lot about it, vaguely, by McDermott slipping and saying he's "very concerned" or Dorsey saying "no one player is bigger than the team" or Josh having to step up during the OTA fiasco and say "some players are special and should be treated that way." You could feel it. That's why he's gone.

 

A million times over, I'm thrilled that we got a (probably) high 2nd round pick for him. I'm also thrilled we don't have to deal with this media fire that Diggs loved to throw gasoline on constantly. That was his choice, just like it was in Minnesota and I think culturally, the staff were happy to move on.

[Ga boy]

10 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

The "drama" here IMHO was still over blown.  People tried so hard to make this huge riff between him and Josh, and it was just never to the degree of what it was IMHO.  I think the downfall of the Diggs era here had a lot more to do with Diggs losing patience and faith this team had enough to get over the hump at the back end of his career, especially staring down a lot of cap casualties creating a transition period here.  

 

Not saying Diggs wasn't a distraction, but I think a large part of that was the media never letting go...always trying to push the issue which led to Diggs toying a bit with them as his way of pushing back.  Not saying that was the right approach, but its been who he's been a while now.  

 

If we listen to what Beane, Diggs, and others have said, a trade does not appear to have been definite.  Sounded more like a trade was being explored but only if it had made sense and both sides seemed open to a new start.  I don't for a second think Beane would have traded Diggs if all he could get was a 5th round for example.  

 

I mean the fact they elected him a team captain for 2023 says the rift between him and Josh wasn't this huge thing people assumed it was.  No way they make him a captain if him and Josh are on the outs.  However, I do think both Josh and Diggs though are equally enjoying the fresh start though.  I just don't believe there is some deep rift, long term feud, or bad animosity between them like a lot of other people think.  I think there is still a lot of mutual respect and love for what they did for each other on the field and their time together even if they a fresh start was really the best path forward.  

 

Basically, the coach and GM observed diminished skills.  They could’ve kept him another year but figured they could have a better WR corp with what they’ve eventually done.  If Diggs was going to continue to perform at his level of second half of season, they made the right move.  They concluded that keeping Diggs would not get them past KC, Cincy, and Baltimore.  

[Alphadawg7]

1 minute ago, Rigotz said:

 

I don't think there was ever a problem between Josh and Diggs. It seems clear to me, at least.

 

The problem was with Diggs and the coaching staff. Maybe it's McDermott, maybe it was Dorsey and Brady, maybe he just didn't fit the team-first mentality.

 

You heard a lot about it, vaguely, by McDermott slipping and saying he's "very concerned" or Dorsey saying "no one player is bigger than the team" or Josh having to step up during the OTA fiasco and say "some players are special and should be treated that way." You could feel it. That's why he's gone.

 

A million times over, I'm thrilled that we got a (probably) high 2nd round pick for him. I'm also thrilled we don't have to deal with this media fire that Diggs loved to throw gasoline on constantly. That was his choice, just like it was in Minnesota and I think culturally, the staff were happy to move on.

 

Yeah, I agree with this and I think the issues between him and the staff came down to Diggs losing faith this group was gonna get it done before his career was over.  And staring down the barrel of a bloated cap and big personnel changes certainly wasn't going to help ease those concerns and probably only further fueled them.  I think Diggs biggest concern was being somewhere in the last years of his career that didn't legitimately give him a chance to win a ring.  

 

The one area I think Diggs is misunderstood is I don't at all think he was that "get me the ball over all else" WR Diva that guys like T.O. were that became locker room cancers.  I think Diggs genuinely cared more about a Championship than personal stats.  But being the competitor and talent that he was, that was easier to swallow when we were winning, but in losses where Josh missed him, or he wasn't as involved, etc I think then it became the mindset had he been more involved it might have changed the outcome and that was where he got frustrated and the most heated.  But not over the ego of stats...over the belief he had in his ability to affect the game.  

 

I have no ill will towards Diggs...I am happy with the trade, never thought we would get a 2nd for a guy on the wrong side of 30 who didn't finish the season strong last year, so kudos to Beane for getting that kind of value.  I think its addition by subtraction because that pressure and frustrated energy I think Diggs carries with him to get a championship became unhealthy for the locker room.  With that gone, I think the fun comes back and Josh can play with not having things like that in the back of his mind of what kind of reaction or temperament Diggs is going to have when things aren't going right.  

[BigDingus]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saying all the right things.

 

 

 

So can we put to bed that he left because he didn't like Josh?

 

How many videos throughout last season did people share showing him & Allen having fun together? Given how he talks about Allen, how Allen talks about him, and what we've seen from the guy, it's pretty clear to me Diggs didn't believe in the ORGANIZATION.

 

Remember when he reworked his contract to free up some money & it came out he did so with the understanding the FO was going to use that to pursue Hopkins or another weapon?

 

Diggs mostly kept quiet (or cryptic), but when the media kept making it a "Diggs has an issue with Allen" thing, that's when Diggs would actually get annoyed & accuse them of putting words in his mouth.

 

It's very likely he did get frustrated with Allen at times, especially in that Bengals playoff game (which is very reasonable imo), but I don't think that was the CORE issue of wanting out. Defensive head coach, preaching "trust the process," Diggs gave it 4 years and saw the Bills continue to lose in similar fashion to the same team year after year. "The process" wasn't working in his mind.

 

And without the ability to make any big moves, still under the same leadership, same front office, same philosophies, etc. why would he think this year would be any different?

 

He's not like us. He's not just a fan who gets to cheer from the outside & be naively optimistic that every new year is "our time!" He's an actual player with a very limited window. His athletic prime is over or nearly over. And nobody can accuse him of not wanting to win... At this point, I think that's ALL he wants.

 

If that means taking a gamble on a young upstart team, so be it. He did it with the Bills & got really close to a SB, so why not try again? Either way, I don't think he hates Josh, thinks he's a bad QB, or wanted to leave because of him. I think he wanted to leave because he's not optimistic things will change in Buffalo under this regime.

[Rigotz]

33 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I think its addition by subtraction because that pressure and frustrated energy I think Diggs carries with him to get a championship became unhealthy for the locker room.

 

This is very eloquently stated! "Frustrated energy to win a championship" is a great way of summarizing how he might have had good intentions and is usually a good teammate, but still found a way to bring the culture down through his own intensity.

 

Kind of reminds me of Dorsey. He was so focused on being "low positive" to bring his own intensity down, that he brought Josh's intensity down with it.

 

I'm a very excitable person that feeds off of people's energy. I can feel the same genetic predisposition in Josh. Something I haven't thought about until this moment -- it's incredibly important to surround Josh with the right type of energy at all times. We saw the turnaround with Brady and I hope we see the same with a new, more positive and collaborative WR core.

[Captain Hindsight]

1 hour ago, thenorthremembers said:

Freaked me out a bit because my first name actually is Josh.

Putin would know that 

[JerseyBills]

1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saying all the right things.

 

 

Probably reading too much into it but his body language while talking about Josh and Buf , seems like upset and sad. 

Think he wanted to be here for the Lombardi(s) 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

8 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

Probably reading too much into it but his body language while talking about Josh and Buf , seems like upset and sad. 

Think he wanted to be here for the Lombardi(s) 

He didn’t want to be here anymore. Something happened in 2022 that we’ll never know.

Edited June 4 by Buffalo_Stampede

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

I mean the fact they elected him a team captain for 2023 says the rift between him and Josh wasn't this huge thing people assumed it was

 

1 hour ago, Rigotz said:

I don't think there was ever a problem between Josh and Diggs.

 

No, there was definitely a big rift there. I can confirm this. @GunnerBill can confirm this. @nbbillsfan can confirm this. Tim Graham has alluded to it. It is a fact that they had a falling out and Allen eventually just stopped putting up with Diggs' BS. If Allen and Diggs were still close, this trade never goes down.

[Jauronimo]

20 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

No, there was definitely a big rift there. I can confirm this. @GunnerBill can confirm this. @nbbillsfan can confirm this. Tim Graham has alluded to it. It is a fact that they had a falling out and Allen eventually just stopped putting up with Diggs' BS. If Allen and Diggs were still close, this trade never goes down.

Please elaborate.  What went down?

[H2o]

Not sure of the cause of the rift, like I have any kind of insider info or anything, but the game against the Bengals in the Playoffs was the beginning of the end. Diggs screaming like he was at Allen on the sidelines, then walking out like he did set this whole path in motion. That's just my two. I believe Josh kept the peace and said all the right things. I think internally though, especially after the offseason convos behind closed doors, he was ready to wash his hands. He made it work in 2023 and told the FO he didn't need him in 2024. 

[RoyBatty is alive]

26 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

 

No, there was definitely a big rift there. I can confirm this. @GunnerBill can confirm this. @nbbillsfan can confirm this. Tim Graham has alluded to it. It is a fact that they had a falling out and Allen eventually just stopped putting up with Diggs' BS. If Allen and Diggs were still close, this trade never goes down.

It is a FACT is it.

 

 

And Gunner Bill and nbbillsfans can confirm?  Oh those are rock solid sources, certainly in today's world of "Journalism"!

[HappyDays]

10 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Please elaborate.  What went down?

 

They had a falling out. Diggs would openly criticize Allen in the locker room to the point that it got uncomfortable for others. At some point Allen got really sick of it and they stopped talking. The sideline drama during the Bengals game didn't come out of nowhere, neither did Allen sitting there stone faced pointedly ignoring him. Tim Graham reported Allen yelled at Diggs in the locker room after the Jets loss last year over some comment Diggs made. It is basically public knowledge at this point that the two were not getting along.

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, Rigotz said:

 

I don't think there was ever a problem between Josh and Diggs. It seems clear to me, at least.

 

The problem was with Diggs and the coaching staff. Maybe it's McDermott, maybe it was Dorsey and Brady, maybe he just didn't fit the team-first mentality.

 

You heard a lot about it, vaguely, by McDermott slipping and saying he's "very concerned" or Dorsey saying "no one player is bigger than the team" or Josh having to step up during the OTA fiasco and say "some players are special and should be treated that way." You could feel it. That's why he's gone.

 

A million times over, I'm thrilled that we got a (probably) high 2nd round pick for him. I'm also thrilled we don't have to deal with this media fire that Diggs loved to throw gasoline on constantly. That was his choice, just like it was in Minnesota and I think culturally, the staff were happy to move on.

 

I think there were problems between Josh and Diggs.  

 

After the trade on whatever show it was, Shady McCoy and the others were talking about it and one of them said "I don't know what his relationship with Josh was really like" and Shady piped in with "it was bad...it was bad".  Shady has continued to be friendly with Josh and is still plugged in with other players, so I think it's more likely than not he knows something.

 

Tim Graham reported on the scene after the 2023 Jets loss, Josh sitting there despondent, teammates dapping him up and speaking encouragement, Diggs came up and said something to him (Graham didn't hear what was said) and Josh snapped "it's only one ***** game" (he snapped at no one else per Graham)

 

People here have reported that at the end of 2022, Josh and Diggs were barely speaking to each other, which is NOT what you need from your QB and his #1 going into the end of the season and playoffs.