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I'm "resigned to 'it is what it is', now let's see how it ends up"
Same here.
We all know there is a lot riding on this draft, with all the talent we lost and no cap space to replace it. The reality is that finding the right players for our current situation is a near-impossible task.
Also, it takes a good 3 years before a draft can really be evaluated. There are always busts in the first round, and there are always Day 3 guys who become almost instant starters. Praise or criticize our draft all you want right now- we won't know who's correct until the players take the field.
Remember, 2007 when we were all debating if we should use our first rounder on Lynch or Poz, and then we ended up with both, and everyone was excited? Well, Lynch got himself in trouble and Poz was a bust and it turned out to be a terrible draft.
Conversely, Milano was a 5th rounder who turned out to be better than Edmunds, who was a 2nd rounder. Benford was taken in the 6 round of the same draft where Elam went in the first, and right now it looks like Benford is the better player. He certainly developed faster. Stevie Johnson was a 7th rounder who became a starter.
So, right now, complaining about or complimenting the draft is an exercise in futility. No one really knows at this point.
Instead of just a hiatus and a cutback on the big bad internet... I've actually had a lot going on. Ever since mom's stroke almost 2 years ago, it's been quite the rollercoaster. But now that the season is right around the corner, it's time to start checking in again!
Originally posted by notacon
The biggest thing we learned from the Bills is that they are a resilient bunch and did what they had to do to win instead of past years where they fold like a cheap lawn chair.
For news, articles and other "stuff"... BillsZone.com
It is actually a bigger change than you may realize. First, they seem to change the philosophy of smaller, faster WRs to bigger sized, more sure handed guys. I’m guessing they saw what happened in playoff losses against top defenses that the receivers are struggling to get open. So they want guys that are open even covered - I believe it is more towards playoff than regular season players. Second, continued the trend of make running attack a real threat. O-line is now more geared towards stronger run blockers and the RBs are all of the type who can run and catch. That along with Knox and Kincaid in 12 personnel, the offense can be more unpredictable instead of the early Josh years where running attack is ineffective and pretty much an afterthought. 3rd and most surprising, they are picking guys like edge Solomon where the profile says 3-4 DE and not the Bills typical prototype. I guess what they drafted on their own in the past did not work as well in the playoffs so they are looking outside of the comfort zone to see if they are going to hit on something that will work better
well I will be including recent free agent signings too. At this juncture, minus my day one freak out about the trade with the Chiefs, the draft took care of needs. Nothing flashy, but it addressed needs. Big receiver in the draft, Claypool is another big physical guy, they got some solid slant route receivers in Free agency, they beefed up and brought in depth on the lines, they added a powe back for the running committee, they beefed up the secondary. So on paper they have gotten younger and arguably healthier. Right now its too early to tell (ask me again in late January how I feel about this team) but right now its a great start.
I don’t have the in-depth knowledge about all the draft eligible players like the experts in the war rooms. And even all the experts make mistakes. Just go back to Allen and Rosen, most of the experts from the league and the Zone were horrified when the Bills took Allen and that worked out pretty well for Bean and company! Then there is Elam so you never know nobody does it’s a crap shoot!! Until the pads go on and games count nobody knows!
So, I have to say I’m happy, we filled holes, added depth, sign a lot of free agents (without any money, lol!) and will have some good camp battles for roster spots! So here’s to hoping their draft picks were Allen type picks and not an Elam type picks!
I don’t have the in-depth knowledge about all the draft eligible players like the experts in the war rooms. And even all the experts make mistakes. Just go back to Allen and Rosen, most of the experts from the league and the Zone were horrified when the Bills took Allen and that worked out pretty well for Bean and company! Then there is Elam so you never know nobody does it’s a crap shoot!! Until the pads go on and games count nobody knows!
So, I have to say I’m happy, we filled holes, added depth, sign a lot of free agents (without any money, lol!) and will have some good camp battles for roster spots! So here’s to hoping their draft picks were Allen type picks and not an Elam type picks!
I don’t have the in-depth knowledge about all the draft eligible players like the experts in the war rooms. And even all the experts make mistakes. Just go back to Allen and Rosen, most of the experts from the league and the Zone were horrified when the Bills took Allen and that worked out pretty well for Bean and company! Then there is Elam so you never know nobody does it’s a crap shoot!! Until the pads go on and games count nobody knows!
So, I have to say I’m happy, we filled holes, added depth, sign a lot of free agents (without any money, lol!) and will have some good camp battles for roster spots! So here’s to hoping their draft picks were Allen type picks and not an Elam type picks!
Very well stated kgun.
I posted some insight on the extreme effort NFL talent evaluators go through (in response to one of the Zone's resident sour pusses, who likened my approval of the Bills first three draft picks by comparing it to "selling timeshares" ).......
The Athletic published a very interesting (Part 1) "behind the scene" look at what a NFL team (in this instance the LA Rams) of "One year...of the NFL Draft scouting process"...detailing what a staff of about TWENTY FIVE professionals go though in evaluation talent in their full time jobs.
I'm curious, how many of the few things they mentioned (in part 1) that you (directed at the sour puss know-it-all) have personally done???
-received, hours after the 2023 draft ended, a long list of prospects are distributed to the scouts...that began the...
-"....months spent by scouts on research, evaluation, discussions and debates" about these prospects.
-a multitude of school visits
-multitude of internal meetings of these evaluators sharing their findings
-months and months on the road scouting hundreds of prospects first hand
-each scout has an "area" of the country "who build profiles and evaluations of the players over multiple years...at games, practices and pro days"
-about 200 prospects are "cross checked" where other scouts supplement each other scouts work
-building years long relationships with college coaches
-countless hours in film rooms
How many colleges have you (again, directed at the sour puss know-it-all) visited....college players have you personally met....been at their work outs....talked to their coaches....talked to their strength coaches....talked to their teammates...talked to their acquaintances....talked to their families...conduct background checks....????
And on and on and on.
Even with around TWENTY FIVE professionals doing extensive evaluation for (sometimes) years, yeah...."even all the experts make mistakes". That's the nature of NFL football, and the fraught projection what a young man (just KIDS) will react to the huge culture change from high schools and college ball to the NFL.
This reality was captured perfectly in Moneyball with this iconic scene....
“You don’t have a crystal ball. You can’t look at a kid and predict his future any more than I can. I’ve sat at those kitchen tables with you and listen to you tell those parents “when I know, I know. And when it comes to your son, I know.”
But, you don’t. You don’t”
Your (kgun's) observation is SPOT ON!!!!
"..we filled holes, added depth, sign a lot of free agents (without any money, lol!) and will have some good camp battles for roster spots! So here’s to hoping their draft picks were Allen type picks and not an Elam type picks!"
With the exception is we really do not really know if the Elam pick was as bad as it seems today.
I love the position's we drafted, WR. Center. Safety, LB DT, RB, CB, OT and a DE....
we have added all needs for sure , the biggest question is are they good enough, unfortunately no one will no till game 17 of the 2024 season is over,,,, we can hype this player or drill another but its all speculation.
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