Buffalo Bills: 2020-2021

[GASabresIUFAN]

2 minutes ago, Marchand'sNose said:

 

Yes, thank you. This is exactly my point. I'm assuming Mahomes and Jackson and Watson will keep doing their thing, Tannehill will regress toward career baseline, Darnold and Mayfield will stall due to organizational incompetence, Rivers and Roethlisberger will be making their retirement plans, Tua and Burrow will play like QB rookies, etc... 4th best AFC QB is a perfectly reasonable prediction. To quantify it a bit, I am expecting a jump in Allen's QB rating from 85 to 95. My reasons: third year of experience in Daboll's system, OL returning intact plus Darryl Williams, finally a true #1 WR with Diggs, and an expected north-south RB upgrade to Gore somewhere in the draft.

4th Best AFC about isn’t unreasonable.  With Brady gone, this is his year to take a step forward and make the Bills the beast in the East.

[freester]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Kirk has a bit more inside info than the rest of us. 
 

https://www.mlive.com/sports/2020/03/espns-kirk-herbstreit-would-be-shocked-if-college-football-happens-this-fall.html

[inkman]

10 hours ago, freester said:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Kirk has a bit more inside info than the rest of us. 
 

https://www.mlive.com/sports/2020/03/espns-kirk-herbstreit-would-be-shocked-if-college-football-happens-this-fall.html

I'm not sure why any sports platform thinks their sport will resume at all after this.  They're most likely going to but people trying to determine when the leagues are starting have no idea what the future holds.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

Sports are a huge piece of the fabric of our society and our society needs to resume.  Our sports will resume.

[Tondas]

On 2/9/2020 at 10:09 PM, freester said:

I think they will be drafting a QB much earlier this year. My prediction is Jake Fromm. 

This guy??  And what conference is State Farm in??

Edited March 29, 2020 by Tondas

[Eleven]

New England fans are sooooooo soft:  https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/patriots-fans-roasted-espn-over-first-take-poll-omitting-tom-brady

 

And they even have a special "Tom Brady" tab at the top for a guy who isn't even their QB anymore!

[Randall Flagg]

I would encourage everyone to find the Levi Wallace threads on two bills drive to see what he's been up to. He's awesome. I can link them from my laptop tomorrow 

[FogBat]

On 3/28/2020 at 9:04 PM, Tondas said:

This guy??  And what conference is State Farm in??

SEC. Even without the logo, the crimson shirt says it all. RTR!

[Eleven]

Tom Dempsey, dead from COVID-19.  https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28996756/famed-new-orleans-saints-kicker-tom-dempsey-dies-coronavirus

[WildCard]

Beane donates 20k for COVID-19 relief 

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/bills-gm-donates-20000-to-covid-19-relief/71-4f3a56d8-760f-4f33-bc90-6b0e63169807

And is doing a whole contest

https://www.twobillsdrive.com/community/topic/224113-brandon-beane-initiates-fan-contest-to-benefit-covid-19-relief/

Edited April 6, 2020 by WildCard

[inkman]

Bills Mafia (I hate the term) is getting unhinged in their love affair with Josh Allen.  I like the kid as much as the next guy but the BM is waiting in the weeds for anyone to slander Josh and they pounce on said person with questionable info.  

They are only setting themselves up for ridicule, resentment and disappointment. I think fans my age know the pitfalls of talking so much junk but I think the kids are gonna have to learn this lesson themselves.  

Discretion is the best part of valor. 

[That Aud Smell]

^
I see it the same way. There’s a lot to like about the guy. But to act as though he’s not a flawed QB with Trubisky-esque downside is foolish.

There’s big upside there, too. Here’s hoping he reaches it, or at least gets close to it.

[inkman]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

^
I see it the same way. There’s a lot to like about the guy. But to act as though he’s not a flawed QB with Trubisky-esque downside is foolish.

There’s big upside there, too. Here’s hoping he reaches it, or at least gets close to it.

I think Josh gets an unfair rap nationally but Bills Mafia has more than balanced the ledger with offsetting vitriol.  The kid may have hit his ceiling and what we see is what we get.  An athletic QB who makes crazy good throws and crazy bad throws.  A guy who can hurdle a linebacker and then throw a lateral haphazardly into traffic with way more time on the clock than should be for a play that should only be executed when there is 0:00 on the clock.  

[That Aud Smell]

2 minutes ago, inkman said:

I think Josh gets an unfair rap nationally but Bills Mafia has more than balanced the ledger with offsetting vitriol.  The kid may have hit his ceiling and what we see is what we get.  An athletic QB who makes crazy good throws and crazy bad throws.  A guy who can hurdle a linebacker and then throw a lateral haphazardly into traffic with way more time on the clock than should be for a play that should only be executed when there is 0:00 on the clock.  

I'm not ready to say he's largely a finished product. He struggled with mid-range accuracy in year 1, and then came back in year 2 and improved markedly with it. So, the desire and ability to work and improve are there.

What scares me more than anything is what you reference above -- the tendency for insanely poor decision making in critical moments. Even if he improves on his deep throws, etc., he will never get the Bills over the hump if he can't control his natural impulse to play hero-ball.

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

I'm not ready to say he's largely a finished product. He struggled with mid-range accuracy in year 1, and then came back in year 2 and improved markedly with it. So, the desire and ability to work and improve are there.

What scares me more than anything is what you reference above -- the tendency for insanely poor decision making in critical moments. Even if he improves on his deep throws, etc., he will never get the Bills over the hump if he can't control his natural impulse to play hero-ball.

Unless of course he goes the Favre route and gets real good at hero ball.

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Unless of course he goes the Favre route and gets real good at hero ball.

I screamed out loud when he flipped that ball to Knox while upside down. What a lunkhead.

At the same time, had it connected, Knox had a straight shot to glory and to Kansas City the next weekend. We were inches from seeing an all-time NFL highlight reel play.

Allen is nothing if not entertaining in one form or another lol

 

 

what also killed me about that game is how GOOD he was in quarters 1-3, and how that contrasted with Q4. Its in him to play most games like he did in Dallas, we just have to hope he finds that consistency. The story of a young project QB. Had Duke not let a TD pass through his fingers, and had the OL been able to block just THREE freaking rushers for two plays on the second to last drive, I don't think we see that game as an Allen deer-in-headlights moment at all. Which is why the Diggs acquisition is so huge. Find another solid RB, get improved OL play from familiarity, and we will have the cleanest possible lens to see if adequate progress is made, and to make decisions going forward 

[That Aud Smell]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

Unless of course he goes the Favre route and gets real good at hero ball.

Ay Chihuahua. 

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

I screamed out loud when he flipped that ball to Knox while upside down. <snip>

Good stuff, both.

Edited April 7, 2020 by That Aud Smell

[GASabresIUFAN]

Quote

 

Buffalo Bills: Brandon Beane

Year hired: 2017
Number of players drafted: 16
List of Pro Bowlers: 1. LB Tremaine Edmunds

BEST PICK: LB Tremaine Edmunds, 2018 (Round 1, No. 16 overall). The leader of Sean McDermott's defense, Edmunds is very good in coverage against running backs and tight ends, and he led the Bills with 115 tackles last season.

BEST VALUE PICK: RB Devin Singletary, 2019 (Round 3, No. 74). Averaging 5.1 yards per carry last season (fourth in the league), Singletary was a change-of-pace running back with excellent start-and-stop ability.

DEFINITIVE TRAIT/STYLE: Beane uses free agency to fill as many holes as possible, so the Bills don't have to draft for need. He believes in taking the best player on the board through the first half of the draft before filling any remaining needs in the later rounds.

 

From NFL.com.  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001108562/article/nfl-draft-guide-each-gms-best-pick-top-value-pick-tendencies Thought it was an interesting comment on Beane.

Interestingly he hasn't bolstered the RB group.  All we really have is Singletary and Yeldon.  Despite what it says above, I've seen recent draft projections with the Bills taking Jonathan Taylor from Wis in the 2nd rd.  I would be real happy with this pick.  A 1-2 punch of Singletary and Taylor would take a ton of pressure off Allen 

 

Edited April 8, 2020 by GASabresIUFAN

[That Aud Smell]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

A 1-2 punch of Singletary and Taylor would take a ton of pressure off Allen 

I know (or at least am pretty sure) that this isn't how you meant it, but, in my eyes, there's going to be a ton of pressure on Allen next season - no way around it. There's already a significant narrative out there that the Bills have assembled a Super Bowl caliber roster around him. The guy is going to have to take a (big) step forward.

To your point, having a robust running game will enable Allen to put his very best foot forward. Perhaps we can think of the Seattle model: Run the ball a sh1t ton, and have an athletic QB who can make enough big plays when called on to do so.

[Lanny]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

From NFL.com.  http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001108562/article/nfl-draft-guide-each-gms-best-pick-top-value-pick-tendencies Thought it was an interesting comment on Beane.

Interestingly he hasn't bolstered the RB group.  All we really have is Singletary and Yeldon.  Despite what it says above, I've seen recent draft projections with the Bills taking Jonathan Taylor from Wis in the 2nd rd.  I would be real happy with this pick.  A 1-2 punch of Singletary and Taylor would take a ton of pressure off Allen 

 

I have a hard time envisioning Taylor making it to them at pick, but perhaps with a trade up it could happen. Beane has also showed, and stated on his call last week, that he is not afraid to trade up to get a guy he really likes. 

 

Regardless, I doubt their plan is to go into the season with only Singletary and Yeldon. Historically they like to have a larger-sized short yardage back on their roster (Tolbert, Ivory, Gore). There's a couple of these guys expected to go in the mid rounds of the draft including:

AJ Dillon

Zack Moss

Antonio Gibson

 

[Randall Flagg]

Who knows if AJ Dillon can have the impact of Derrick Henry, but man, AJ Dillon must make defenders poop their pants 

[nfreeman]

Former Bills RB Karlos Williams, who has 8 kids and lost his NFL job due to being overweight and then getting suspended for drug use, in the Athletic today, on Doug Whaley:

Quote

“You know what’s funny?” Williams said. “When I was in Buffalo, I knew something was wrong when they drafted Jonathan Williams. I knew something was up. Y’all had alternative plans. Y’all bring Reggie Bush to camp and allowed him to practice? Reggie Bush went negative rushing yards for the season. And y’all release me? Doug Whaley can eat a d***. Doug Whaley can die in a hole and drink bleach. I’m dead serious. The reason I didn’t play in the XFL is because Doug Whaley’s name was on it. I’m dead serious.”

https://theathletic.com/1733713/2020/04/09/as-karlos-williams-prepares-to-return-to-football-hes-holding-nothing-back/

[inkman]

30 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Former Bills RB Karlos Williams, who has 8 kids and lost his NFL job due to being overweight and then getting suspended for drug use, in the Athletic today, on Doug Whaley:

https://theathletic.com/1733713/2020/04/09/as-karlos-williams-prepares-to-return-to-football-hes-holding-nothing-back/

Me thinks lack of character might have been what Whaley was assessing when bringing in other RBs.  

[Weave]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

Former Bills RB Karlos Williams, who has 8 kids and lost his NFL job due to being overweight and then getting suspended for drug use, in the Athletic today, on Doug Whaley:

https://theathletic.com/1733713/2020/04/09/as-karlos-williams-prepares-to-return-to-football-hes-holding-nothing-back/

Apparently Karlos eats grudges like he eats cheeseburgers.

 

I do have to ask, what is the point of bringing up that he has 8 kids in the context of the conversation? 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Weave

[shrader]

15 minutes ago, Weave said:

Apparently Karlos eats grudges like he eats cheeseburgers.

 

I do have to ask, what is the point of bringing up that he has 8 kids in the context of the conversation? 

He's 26 years old.  I think that little detail tells you something.