Buffalo Bills 2023 Thread

[Pimlach]

Overall I think the Bills could once again be in the top 4 of the AFC, after that then they have to show up for crunch time.  

There are trouble areas that I see, in this order (for now at the start of the season): 

1.  OL - they made moves to improve at OG but the tackles are not wowing anybody lately.  Still not happy with the talent on the OL.  

2.  Dorsey - I just don't know yet, but he does not get the confidence from me that Daboll got.  I never worried about their readiness and the game plan under Daboll.  Now I do.  

3.  DL - lots of resources are spent here and it is time for some of them to dominate if this is going to be a good defense.  If not, then this is an average defense missing Edmunds.   We don't know if Tre is still Tre either. 

4.  HC on game day - he has had trouble managing the game on game day at times, and he has learned along the way.  Now he has to run the defense too.  Not sure I like this.  Could be overload for him.  

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pimlach

[Buffalonill]

I will be your biggest fan when you face the jets .

 Rodgers is going to realize he had it easy in green bay 

[mjd1001]

15 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Overall I think the Bills could once again be in the top 4 of the AFC, after that then they have to show up for crunch time.  

There are trouble areas I see and in this order (for now at the start of the season): 

1.  OL - they made moves to improve at OG but the tackles are not wowing anybody lately.  Still not happy with the talent on the OL.  

2.  Dorsey - I just don't know yet, but he does not get the confidence from me that Daboll got.  I never worried about their readiness and the game plan under Daboll.  Now I do.  

3.  DL - lots of resources are spent here and it is time for some of them to dominate if this is going to be a good defense.  If not, then this is an average defense missing Edmunds.   We don't know if Tre is still Tre either. 

4.  HC on game day - he has had trouble managing the game on game day at times, and he has learned along the way.  Now he has to run the defense too.  Not sure I like this.  Could be overload for him.  

I agree with most of what you said:

1.)  the OL for a few years has been average to below average.  Unless they are playing an average-to-bad Defense, they don't get any push in the running game. Pass blocking, if they had most other QB's rather than Allen they would be at or near the league lead in sacks allowed.  Dawkins is OK but overpaid, he is slightly above average at best. The rest? average to below average. But that is the way they are going.

2.) Dorsey I don't have a big problem with yet.  I think as long as you have a HEALTHY Josh Allen you are fine. Dorsey was fine through the Jets game before Allen got hurt.

3.) DL. They are just average. They often has as much luck with the free agents they bring in as they do with their top picks. Not terrible, but not good. Average.

The other area I see this team as being weaker than most people think is 'up the middle' on defense. D-line, middle LB, but especially the Safeties.  I'm not saying Poyer and Hyde are bad (yet) but I think they are going to be more of a weakness than most think. They never were super-athletic safeties, they relied on their knowledge of the game.  But they are both coming off of injuries, they are both on the wrong side of 30.  Even if they stay healthy, I think you are going to notice they are often that 1/2 step away from breaking up a play.  Plus, without Edmunds in the middle, they are going to probably have more responsibility covering the short-middle of the field because Edmunds's replacement won't be as good as he was...giving Poyer and Hyde even MORE territory to be responsible for.  Again, I don't think they will be a glaring weakness, but I think we are going to notice they aren't as much of a strength as we viewed them over the past few years.

[Gatorman0519]

The Bills are aging, need upgrades in some key areas, and have no cap space.  Even if this season goes well, expect a mini rebuild soon.  Need tackles (at least one for sure), a center, MLB, a new number one corner, safety, a young top end WR.  It is the nature of football.  

[Night Train]

Once you sign your franchise QB to the big contract, the game changes. Vet FA is just as important as the draft. Beane is very active in that avenue and turnover is the norm. 

I'll watch and learn like everyone when the real games begin. I never learn much of anything in the pre-season..my first being 1965. Coaches usually show nothing and all players are suddenly void of talent .  We'll see. 

[Buffalonill]

If you wanna good chuckle

 

[LGR4GM]

 

 

The conclusion of you read the entire thread is the offensive line and Allen will be fine. 

[Brawndo]

 

[Stoner]

14 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

If you wanna good chuckle

 

I think for a lot of people it will be a wry smile.

[Night Train]

10 hours ago, Brawndo said:

 

 

That's some savvy GM work by John Lynch. Three #1 draft picks and a 3rd for Trey Lance. 

Here's my preview for Todays pre-season finale.

Don't get hurt. 

The End. 

[Eleven]

Kyle Allen is a nightmare.  I don't know what the Bills bid on Trey Lance (it didn't work), but they need a backup on the team like right now.

[K-9]

30 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Kyle Allen is a nightmare.  I don't know what the Bills bid on Trey Lance (it didn't work), but they need a backup on the team like right now.

Trey Lance is a couple years of good coaching away from being an NFL QB. There was a tweet recently from some talking head that pointed out that over his entire career, from HS to college, to the NFL, he has only 588 snaps at the position. Perhaps the most inexperienced QB to ever enter the league. 

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

Trey Lance is a couple years of good coaching away from being an NFL QB. There was a tweet recently from some talking head that pointed out that over his entire career, from HS to college, to the NFL, he has only 588 snaps at the position. Perhaps the most inexperienced QB to ever enter the league. 

I'm aware.  And yet the Bills still don't have a #2 on the roster.  Perhaps he will emerge as other teams squeeze out other players.

(Yes, it was deliberate.  That one, too.)

[Night Train]

5 hours ago, K-9 said:

Trey Lance is a couple years of good coaching away from being an NFL QB. There was a tweet recently from some talking head that pointed out that over his entire career, from HS to college, to the NFL, he has only 588 snaps at the position. Perhaps the most inexperienced QB to ever enter the league. 

Still, John Lynch traded 3 #1 picks and a 3rd to draft him. One of the biggest draft blunders in history. 

 Lance is a couple years of good coaching away from being a XFL QB. 

 

If any starting QB goes down for an extened time, your season is basically done. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Let me see if I understand the Bills situation.  Elam is looking like a bust at DB, but Benford, a late rd pick who they thought about converting to safety, may now be the front runner for the starting CB job opposite White.  We lack anyone better than AJ Klein at middle linebacker to replace the departed Edmunds and have zero adequate depth behind Milano.

Are we allowed to question Beane’s drafting decisions?  Elam, Basham, Benard, Espenesa, Moss, Singletary among others. To keep this team at or near the top some of these draft picks in the top 3 rounds are going to have to produce and become part of the core..  Rouseau, Ed Oliver and maybe Knox are his biggest successes and the jury is still out on Cook and Spenser Brown. 

[Dr. Who]

I don't have high hopes for Bernard, but it appears they thought of him as a real consideration at MLB. The hamstring injury early on has kept him out the entire preseason. We'll have to see if he can play better than most expect. Dodson had his best game against the Bears, which isn't a high bar. They should have brought in a free agent who can at least play the position at NFL mediocre level. Maybe someone will shake loose  after the cutdowns, but it's not a great situation. Elam was never a good fit for what McD typically asks of his corners. I think it's up to the coaching staff to find a way to use him to his strengths. They've tried to turn him into a different player and now he has regressed because he's thinking too much and has lost confidence. That's on Beane and McD more than the player, imo. 2022 looks like a terrible draft, though I believe Cook is going to be solid. 2023 appears promising. Kincaid and Torrence could both turn out well. Overall, Beane needs to hit more, especially on day 2 picks. The Bills are still a very strong team. MLB, OT depth, and QB2 ought to be where one hopes they can scavenge some kind of improvement through trade or waiver pick ups.

[Night Train]

 Bernard was drafted to be the backup to Milano, who has an injury history. Straight from McDermott and Beane. He's supposed to be back in uniform this week, according to Beane yesterday. Rookie Williams is looking to be the other LB eventually while Dotson plays. Where did Klein starting come from ??  He was playing in the 4th Q yesterday and might be cut in the next 48 hours. 

 Many times, Milano is the only LB on the field while Neal comes in for coverage as an in the box safety or extra CB. The Bills lost little to nothing when Edmunds left. He had straight ahead speed but zero recognition skills and couldn't cover his shadow. Can't belive Bears gave him that $$. That was a mistake. 

 I've been worried about the OL for 50 + years, so that's nothing new.  Maybe backup QB but the seaons done if your starter goes down anyhow. 

 Not worried about WR, TE, RB. On D, not worried about DL and Secondary. Seems more than set at all those positions. Good depth. 

 A fanbase is always concerned about their own team. I get that. 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Night Train

[sabills]

On 8/26/2023 at 11:07 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Let me see if I understand the Bills situation.  Elam is looking like a bust at DB, but Benford, a late rd pick who they thought about converting to safety, may now be the front runner for the starting CB job opposite White.  We lack anyone better than AJ Klein at middle linebacker to replace the departed Edmunds and have zero adequate depth behind Milano.

Are we allowed to question Beane’s drafting decisions?  Elam, Basham, Benard, Espenesa, Moss, Singletary among others. To keep this team at or near the top some of these draft picks in the top 3 rounds are going to have to produce and become part of the core..  Rouseau, Ed Oliver and maybe Knox are his biggest successes and the jury is still out on Cook and Spenser Brown. 

I've been critical of Beane's drafting for a while. Can we even call those three successes? Both are solid rotational DLinemen, but neither was a home run. He's done decent down the draft board, and I know they've drafted late which makes it tougher, but he hasn't really hit on anyone in the first round besides Allen and, arguably, Edmunds. I am hopeful for Kincaid, though.

[Ctaeth]

On 8/26/2023 at 2:50 PM, Eleven said:

Kyle Allen is a nightmare.  I don't know what the Bills bid on Trey Lance (it didn't work), but they need a backup on the team like right now.

People are always so concerned about the Bills backup QB.  The Bills, like any other team with an elite QB, are screwed if the starter QB goes down, regardless of who is the backup QB.  Imagine the Chiefs without Mahomes, Bengals without Burrow, etc.  Any one of these teams is screwed without the QB.  When such a huge percentage of your salary goes towards paying one elite player, if they go down.. things aren't going to go well.  The only meaningful contribution the backup QB is going to have is helping prepare Allen.  You can find exceptions where backup QBs have stepped in and have been great, but in general.. your QB goes down you are screwed.  The Bills season revolves around Josh Allen staying healthy

Edited August 28, 2023 by Ctaeth

[Eleven]

11 hours ago, Ctaeth said:

People are always so concerned about the Bills backup QB.  The Bills, like any other team with an elite QB, are screwed if the starter QB goes down,

Yeah, it's really been forever since a third-stringer led a team to a conference championship game.  Like MONTHS, even.

[Pimlach]

On 8/27/2023 at 7:25 AM, Night Train said:

 Bernard was drafted to be the backup to Milano, who has an injury history. Straight from McDermott and Beane. He's supposed to be back in uniform this week, according to Beane yesterday. Rookie Williams is looking to be the other LB eventually while Dotson plays. Where did Klein starting come from ??  He was playing in the 4th Q yesterday and might be cut in the next 48 hours. 

 Many times, Milano is the only LB on the field while Neal comes in for coverage as an in the box safety or extra CB. The Bills lost little to nothing when Edmunds left. He had straight ahead speed but zero recognition skills and couldn't cover his shadow. Can't belive Bears gave him that $$. That was a mistake. 

 I've been worried about the OL for 50 + years, so that's nothing new.  Maybe backup QB but the seaons done if your starter goes down anyhow. 

 Not worried about WR, TE, RB. On D, not worried about DL and Secondary. Seems more than set at all those positions. Good depth. 

 A fanbase is always concerned about their own team. I get that. 

I worry about LB and I think Edmunds will be missed. Not that he was worth the big contract but but was known as a good coverage LB, not sure were your coming from saying he could not cover, that is actually what he did best.  He certainly lacked ball skills and the ability to make a big play. 
 

You worry about the Bills OL for 50+ years???  The Bill have a history of great O lineman.  The best Bills teams all have HoF or WoF or All Pro offensive lineman, until now.  Allens skills make this current. mediocre collection of OL adequate at best.  

[Pimlach]

On 8/26/2023 at 10:07 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Let me see if I understand the Bills situation.  Elam is looking like a bust at DB, but Benford, a late rd pick who they thought about converting to safety, may now be the front runner for the starting CB job opposite White.  We lack anyone better than AJ Klein at middle linebacker to replace the departed Edmunds and have zero adequate depth behind Milano.

Are we allowed to question Beane’s drafting decisions?  Elam, Basham, Benard, Espenesa, Moss, Singletary among others. To keep this team at or near the top some of these draft picks in the top 3 rounds are going to have to produce and become part of the core..  Rouseau, Ed Oliver and maybe Knox are his biggest successes and the jury is still out on Cook and Spenser Brown. 

Why are people saying Elam is a bust in ore season, could it be that Benford is a gem? 

Basham was alway a waste of a pick to me, going back to back DL, especially with good OL players on the board.  

Moss too, we had Singletary, they seemed similar, not complimentary.  

Beane’s drafts are about average, but his trades and free agent pick ups have filled holes.  

[Taro T]

Basham's a Jint.

Apparently a late round pick swap accompanies the move.

 

[Stoner]

Nice job Kev.

[mjd1001]

On 8/28/2023 at 9:45 AM, Ctaeth said:

People are always so concerned about the Bills backup QB.  The Bills, like any other team with an elite QB, are screwed if the starter QB goes down, regardless of who is the backup QB.  Imagine the Chiefs without Mahomes, Bengals without Burrow, etc.  Any one of these teams is screwed without the QB.  When such a huge percentage of your salary goes towards paying one elite player, if they go down.. things aren't going to go well.  The only meaningful contribution the backup QB is going to have is helping prepare Allen.  You can find exceptions where backup QBs have stepped in and have been great, but in general.. your QB goes down you are screwed.  The Bills season revolves around Josh Allen staying healthy

I agree.  If Allen is done for the year, so likely are the Bills.  The key to a good back up is if Allen gets hurt for 6 games-or-so.  A good backup you hope can get you 3, maybe 4 games (depending on the schedule), a bad backup might not....and that can be the difference between making the playoffs or not.

Overall though, I'm not worried about the backup QB. Every week that has gone by I am more and more worried about the secondary.  Poyer and Hyde are the glue you think will hold things back together there, but every clip I have seen of both of them I worry more and more they are sliding quickly down on their already average athleticism, and that I think will be a big issue (at least bigger than many are thinking now.)