Shive

100%. That and his height makes that field of view even more limited.

The fact is that week after week, there are specific posters that doom-post when the team starts playing poorly. Not just voicing criticism, flooding the game thread with "the sky is falling" nonsense. It's a trend and it's the same folks week after week, year after year.

It seems like we have players playing overly-aggressively with conservative playcalling. Problem with that is that you have guys out of position, leaving gaping holes in the defense.

There's a difference between voicing valid criticisms and just doom posting. He's speaking more to the latter.

Absolutely not. They're almost impossible to recover after the rule change a few years ago. We definitely need the run game to get going more and be more efficient running the ball. We also need to scheme up Downs and the TEs. I'm not sure that I trust AP at this point to shoulder the passing game.

Can we get a holding call?

He also made a fantastic ST tackle on a punt return that pinned them inside their own 20. He's a rookie getting his first meaningful game snaps. Maybe don't overreact?

QBs like Heineke are just the kryptonite for Gus' scheme. Not to say that I wouldn't want us to be able to contain him, but some QBs just match up well against certain defensive schemes.

Only way I can see the reasoning is helmet-to-helmet.

100%. He's really accurate as long as he doesn't get heel-clicky.

I'm bored, so I figured I'd take a shot at an early mock draft. I took a BPA approach with the first round pick and aimed to address some needs with later picks. PICK: 22 RND: 1 (IND) Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State I like our WR room. Pittman is an alpha that will move the chains with tough catches, Pierce can be a very solid deep threat when we have a QB able/willing to take the shots, and Downs (my favorite WR in last year's draft) has been great in the slot. I just couldn't pass on Egbuka here, assuming he declares. He's 6'1" 205lbs, runs a 4.3 40 (very fast acceleration), is great route runner with lightning-fast footwork, extremely competitive after the catch, and a solid and willing blocker. He needs some work with his release to beat press coverage off the line, but I think he's too good to pass up. PICK: 54 RND: 2 (IND) Jackson Powers-Johnson, C Oregon With the multiple concussions Kelly has sustained and the long recovery time from them, I can see Kelly retiring either after this season or next, meaning we need to plan for his departure. Powers-Johnson has experience at LG, RG, and C (was good at each) which immediately gives us a versatile IOL for depth if Kelly plays next season and to be our C of the future when he leaves. He's 6'3" 320lbs, plays with a mean streak, is explosive out of his stance, very athletic for his size and is very effective in the screen game. He's an absolute mauler in the run game, but still has some work to do as a pass protector. I think with our current OL room and coaching staff, he could be a top C in aa few years. PICK: 86 RND: 3 (IND) Nazir Stackhouse, DT/NT Georgia We've all seen how bad our run defense is with Grover out of the line-up and every DT we have behind him is way more of a 3T than a 1T. Enter the 6'3" 320lb Stackhouse. He's stout, strong, has great balance (was a HS wrestler), and plays with great leverage. Of course, he's not much of a pass rush threat at the moment, but as 1T, that's not necessarily the goal. He's extremely stout against the run game and moves surprisingly well for a guy his size. PICK: 122 RND: 4 (IND) Payton Wilson, LB North Carolina State Another mid-round LB prospect to bolster the unit for years to come. Wilson is 6'4", 230lbs, but moves like a DB in coverage. Great closing speed and takes good angles for tackles. His biggest issue will just be getting stronger to be able to shed tackles at the pro level. Made Bruce Feldman's Freak's List at #48: "The 6-4, 230-pound former North Carolina state champion high school wrestler has vertical-jumped 36 inches, and coaches say he will “easily” run the 40 in the 4.49 to 4.54 range." Give him a year or 2 in an NFL S&C program and he'll be an absolute monster at LB. PICK: 159 RND: 5 (IND) Cole Bishop, FS Utah Can't hurt to add more depth to our Safety group. Bishop is 6'2", 207lbs, is a fluid athlete with decent speed, great ball skills, and solid coverage skills. He's not a high-end traitsy kind of guy, just a really solid safety and sometimes that gets the job done. He does need to work on adding a little bit more weight and strength, but that's not a big problem to have. Nothing flashy, he's just good. PICK: 200 RND: 6 (IND) Nelson Ceaser, DE/EDGE Houston Can't have enough edge rushers, so why not take a shot in the 6th round? Ceaser is 6'3, 250lbs so obviously struggles in anchoring and holding the edge in the run game. He's very explosive off the line with violent hands, has the flexibility to dip and bend around the edge, but needs to get stronger and develop/refine his pass rush moves/strategy. PICK: 243 RND: 7 (IND) Fentrell Cypress II, SCB/NB Florida State Kenny Moore II has been great this season, but we could always use some depth at CB, especially at NB. Cypress is 6' 187lbs, has great instincts and anticipation, solid in zone coverage, is an effectively blitzer, and has a skillset that makes him very good as a returner. He's bit of a liability in the run game due to his size, but he's a very willing tackler and likes to get into the action. I think he'll end up being a good NB that can immediately contribute on ST.

With the multiple concussions and the new babies at home, I could see Kelly either retiring after this season or potentially next season. Either way, we should definitely plan on finding his eventual replacement. Personally, a guy like Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon could be a good fit. He's played both G positions and C, so he'd be immediate depth for those 3 and would be able to learn the C position better before he would need to start (if Kelly doesn't retire after this season). I think the rest of the OL is solid and we may be able to upgrade depth, but our starting 5 are solid.

It makes it easier that they're contributors, but not irreplaceable. You're able to send a message that even if you're an active contributor on Sundays, conduct below the standards won't be tolerated and you're able to fill their spot without much drop-off, if at all. If this was dealing with someone like Buckner or Nelson, it may have been handled differently. These two are an easy example for the locker room without hurting your roster. Tony Brown seems to be quite a goober in the locker room based on some of the comments in videos from the players, but no indication that he was a bad apple. McKenzie has a reputation as a really solid guy. I saw a number of comments from Bills fans saying that they're shocked he would get into any trouble with how good of a guy they've known him to be while he was in Buffalo. Obviously there's something serious here, but it seems like quite the shock for most.

I think it was a single bad incident that popped up late Friday/early Saturday, leading to them being healthy scratches Saturday until the team could make a decision on how to handle whatever happened, and after the game ultimately decided to suspend them.

That's one that I saw commented somewhere, but the source was "my buddy works in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Bloomington. He isn't handling it, but that's what he's heard". It's not impossible, but definitely a bit out there, and I'd need a way more credible source. I doubt that it has to do with cannabis usage, as I don't believe it's tested for by the league anymore.

At this point in his career, Landry would bring a veteran presence, good route running, sure hands, and return ability. He's not going to be Landry of 5+ years ago, but I think he could still be a solid signing for a playoff push.

I've seen a few in Twitter comments, but its just been random people saying random stuff. Nothing of substance at all. The one I've seen floated a few times is a fight between the two, but again that's purely a random Twitter comment speculating, so I put no stock into it at all. I imagine the details will leak at some point, so I'll be waiting for someone with credibility to say something.

Just to give more context to the reason for the suspension: This was complied/posted by a guy that somehow doesn't think Kazee should have been ejected or suspended, but I think its literally the reason he was. 1st hit: WR all but gives himself up and the defender has him wrapped when Kazee comes in with a blatant helmet to helmet hit. 2nd hit: Doesn't look as bad from this angle, but again, he leads with the crown of his helmet and the impact of which cannot be seen from this angle. 3rd hit: Doesn't look egregious, but again, leads with the crown of his helmet. (the only one I can justify not being fined for) 4th hit: WR is wrapped up and in the process of falling to the ground when Kazee comes in with the blatant helmet to helmet hit. Kazee was suspended due to an obvious pattern of leading with the crown of his helmet and headhunting.

There's, for whatever reason, a group of fans that always want to put Smith at RG even though he's proven to be a top RT when healthy. I just ignore that noise. Agreed though. Getting Smith back for a playoff push would be huge. 100%! He's got the athleticism, but his lack of strength has always been the biggest concern. He'll need a couple of years in an NFL S&C program to build the needed strength and, like you said, work on the technique, but absolutely a solid backup in the meantime.

Jones fell because he lacks high-end physical traits. He's not an athletic freak and has an average athletic profile, but he allowed the lowest completion rate of any CB in college (I can't remember the stat off hand, but it was a ridiculous figure). Point is, he's not a high upside guy, but he's got a very high floor. I've seen it from a lot of people so this isn't just aimed at you, but Jones for most of the season graded out as the top rookie CB and I can't understand how someone looks at how he played as a rookie and says "yea he's back-up at best". He has locked down really good WRs for entire games (he's gotten beat a couple of times, but it was usually a play where you were sure if it was the safety's responsibility or his). If in the 1st, a CB is far and away BPA, sure let's do it, but I definitely wouldn't prioritize the position. Like you mentioned though, you listed a few SCBs, which I think we could definitely use depth there.

I don't think its fair to compare the two. Raimann was viewed as a potential 1st round prospect (NFL.com & PFF were very high on him to name a few) that fell due to medical concerns (a number of teams reportedly failed him medically and took him off their boards), age, and a rough Senior Bowl week. Freeland was viewed way more as a developmental prospect. We drafted Raimann way below where he was projected and took Freeland a bit earlier than projected, and I think the difference between the two on the field as rookies shows that. I think Raimann is also a bit of the exception than the expectation.

He looked solid when a TE chipped first, but 1v1, absolutely not.

I'm not ready to say that yet....lol