Buffalo Bills Roster Questions: Roles, Rotations, Expectations, & more | DC - Disguised Coverage

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's thirty eight. All bills can win. In here, Wake
puts it down. The kick is on the way and
dock m the bell good one? How the hell that one.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Home?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
How one? They were a party one not party way? Incredible?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Why not combat by my bell?

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Jacksonville's perfect record on the line right here.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Quick.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Kicking, look excited.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Touchdown Kyle Williams touchdound amazing, unbelievable. They puttied william who's

(00:54):
has to full back and he scores a touchdown. It's
wealthier to face tackle.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
What's good? Folks, family, friends, loved ones, enemies. Friend of
me is Wizards, which is Muggles, Mudd bloods, people of
Middle Earth. To another episode of disguised coverage. The only
podcast that gives you an equal amount of blueberries in
each muffin, presented by the best Pizza in Buffalo, New York.
That is one PI Pizza. Find me on my menu
in the episode show notes. Whether here on YouTube or
whichever podcasting Apple platform you're listening to this show on,

(01:39):
I am your host, Anthony Prohaska. Find me on Twitter
at pro Underscore Underscore and that's pro two underscores a
n T. Find me on Blue sky at pro ant.
No underscores there, just p R O A N T.
In this episode of Disguised Coverage, we are roughly one
month away from the start of Buffalo Bill's training camp,

(02:00):
and with that being said, as we start to move forward,
wanted to set the table for the rest of this
offseason conversation leading into training camp, which then leads into
the preseason, which then leads into the regular season by
addressing several position groups on this Bill's roster, on this
Bill's team, and essentially laying out the biggest or top

(02:23):
or most important question at each of these position groups.
Some of them we've talked about briefly throughout this offseason,
some of them we've alluded to, some we mentioned, but
there are several position groups that have significant questions amongst
this entire Buffalo Bills roster and within this Buffalo Bills team.
Some of them are positions this team has worked on
through year after year after year in the off season.

(02:47):
Some positions are newer ones that are kind of in
flux or suddenly under the microscope after not being so
for a long time. But either way, these position groups
that we're going to dive into tonight, I think really
headline and a lot of where the focus will be
from a training camp perspective, roster battles, depth chart battles,
who beats out who for this, who beats out who

(03:09):
for that, and what it means, so on and so forth.
So this episode is kind of kind of set the
table for some of the deeper detailed discussions we have
in the coming weeks leading up to training camp and
then obviously our coverage throughout training camp, throughout the preseason,
then leading into the regular season. Apologies for not having
some shows the past couple of weeks, very busy with
a lot of things going on in a positive way.

(03:30):
I am still trying to make up, you know, some
of the episodes that I haven't done by doing some
pre recorded stuff uploading it to the channel. As I
get time for that, they will be uploaded, published and
communicated via Twitter and Blue Sky and all those other
channels platforms. Anything and everything in this episode as we
start to dive in, any questions, thoughts, comments, concerns, philosophy's ideologies, theories, maxims,

(03:55):
whatever you got on you know, the topic of this episode,
or anything in general regarding the bills, whatever you got,
feel free to put it up into the chat. We
will dive into as many of those pieces as possible.
I know we are in the dol drums of the
off season, so I appreciate anyone tuning in live to
this episode joining me on this journey, and if you
want to put some questions up into the live chat

(04:16):
so I don't feel completely hopeless and alone, I would
greatly appreciate you for that. Appreciate your Bill for being
here and saying he already gave a thumbs up. Thumbs
up are the lifeblood of these streams here on YouTube,
So thank you to Bill forgiving the thumbs up into
anyone and everyone who drops a like or thumbs up
here on YouTube while you're watching live now, later, listening later,
whatever have you. Your support is greatly appreciated, as is the

(04:37):
support from all the folks listening on the audio only
platforms when this show gets uploaded after we finish live tonight.
So without further ado, let us dive into it. And
I'm gonna start with a position group that I haven't
talked too much about from a holistic perspective. I'm talking
about some players within this position group. But we're gonna

(04:59):
lead off with cornerback for the Buffalo Bills. And this
I gain, I don't even think I had kind of
realized I had this position group in my mind already
from a training camp perspective and from a preseason perspective,
some you know, position group that I wanted to watch,
several players, I wanted to keep an eye on, several
storylines that are kind of baked into it, both on

(05:21):
and off the field. But Max Harston picking up an
injury in mini camp is kind of somewhat of what
thrust this position group into the forefront of my brain.
In an ideal world, and that injury is not serious.
We're not talking about Max Harston missing any time. His
season isn't in jeopardy. We're not talking about any of that.
But it just, you know, to kind of put you,
you know, a little peek into my brain of why

(05:42):
this position group was on the forefront of my brain
and why I want to lead off with it. In
an ideal world, Max Harriston wins the corner two job outright.
He is the starter. He is the prince that was
promised at that position. The athleticism, the juice, the closing ability,
things that the Bills really haven't had at the corner room.

(06:03):
I should say they try to get more athletic and
more juiced up. When they drafted Kyrieland that didn't work out,
But again in an ideal world, Max Harston wins the
corner two job outright, and if that happens again, in
an ideal world, we still have questions on the depth
chart after him, but him getting banged up kind of
put in the forefront of my mind of who steps

(06:25):
in as CB two if he goes down, and even
within that, what does the rest of the depth chart
look like at corner So we played out in an
ideal world, Christian Benford CB one and not just CB
one for the Bills. I think he is still on
an upper trajectory and blossoming into one of the better

(06:45):
corners in the league. We talked about it on the
show in the chat a couple episodes ago. I don't
know where I rank him in terms of like corners
in the league. I don't know if he's top ten
or where he funnels in, but there's a good chance
that he really could solidify himself as a top ten
corner in this league after this season. He's a real
quality player in almost every facet or box that you're
looking to tick or check at the corner position. So

(07:07):
you've got Benford at two I'm sorry at one, and
then you've got Hairston at two and then everything after that?
Are we looking at Tredevious? White? Is corner three? Is
Dan Jackson corner three? Does Dorian Strong make this team?
What happens to JaMarcus Ingram, who played well in the
preseason last year, who also got some in game action
and some dime packages when the Bills were banged up

(07:29):
at corner? He's got inside outside versatility. He's got a
physicality and an edge to him that he plays with
that isn't really present amongst the rest of the corner grouping.
The violence that he plays with this grouping I find
to be an interesting one because again, if and if
you're you know, for those of you playing at home,
whether you're watching live now, watching later, listening later, whatever

(07:51):
have you, I think most would agree, Okay, cool, you
trot out Benford and Harriston as you're starting corners, that's
what you want. But if what and even if it's
not Harston one of them goes down, who do you
want next? Stepping in like, who is the next guy
up for you? Is it Trey? Is it Dame Jackson?
Is it Dorian Strong? How confident are you and Dorrian

(08:12):
Strong being a rookie? How confident are you? And JaMarcus Ingram?
Do you want to see more of him? I just
think this is an interesting position group after Christian Benford again,
assuming Max Harrison wins this job. But essentially the question
for me for this group is who wins CB three
and CB four and overall how many corners do they keep?
I think you've got a legitimate opportunity for again Benford, Harriston, Trey,

(08:37):
Dane Jackson, Dorian Strong, JaMarcus Ingram. You still got Dai
Kwon Hardy floating around a bit who played well legitimately
last year in camp, in the preseason, in the scrimmage,
was cut by the Bills, but then brought back, Like
there's there's quality and from a depth perspective and within
this entire CB room. But that question of who steps in,

(09:01):
should Harston go down, should Christian Benford go down? I
think it's really interesting and so kind of seeing who
wins that CB three and CB four job. I think
it's enough of a question in and of itself for
this corner grouping. But more importantly, you know whoever wins
the CB three job as next man up, should anything
happen to Benford or Harrison or again not no, no,

(09:22):
Jink's not putting bad juju out there. Should Hairston not
perform well in camp or the preseason. Does this open
the door for the reliability and the known quantity that
we know the Bill's value at corner by and have
them say, you know what, Harston needs a more seasoning.
Let's give the reins to Trey White or Dane Jackson,

(09:44):
who neither are the sexiest. Trey is probably sexier than
Dane at this point, but not the all pro that
he was. But they have a known quantity there, the
responsibility there. They understand where to be and how to
get there and when to be there. Their teammates are
going to trust them to be in the right place
at the right time, and so with the coaches, I
don't think it's crazy. Then all of a sudden, you know,

(10:06):
one of them kind of bumps up if Harriston struggles
a little bit. So I think it's a very interesting
kind of position group to look at. Aside from the headline,
which was Max Harriston, first round pick, speed, juice, athleticism, recovery, speed,
closing ability, all of that. So yeah, I wanted to
lead off with that group because the Harston injury again
triggered it a bit for me in terms of putting

(10:26):
this group into the forefront and wondering what it looks
like holistically down the depth chart, but also by extension,
who would step in should anything happened to Harriston or
into Bedford CT. Appreciate you being here, Kendricks and the
chat saying go Bills, Go Bills, Kendrick, appreciate you being here.
Comment here old question here I should say, Oh, so,

(10:46):
what's our ceiling in your opinion? If we don't get
to the Super Bowl? Is it a failure of the season.
I think so. I'll start with the second part of
this question first. If we don't get the Bills don't
get to Super Bowl as a season, I don't think so,
just because I don't care how good your team is.
It's just so hard to win a super Bowl. The
odds of any one team winning the Super Bowl or

(11:10):
one of the other thirty one teams in the NFL
winning it, the odds are just significantly in favor of
one of the other thirty one teams. It's just so hard.
You have to stay healthy, your schedule has to fall
the right way, you have to be playing good ball
at the right time, and so much of the league
is match up driven. You might be the best team,
like legitimately you could be and I'm just staying from

(11:31):
the Bills perspective. You could be the best team in
the league or the best team in your conference, but
there might be a certain team or matchup that you
struggle against or struggle with, and maybe that's who you
get matched up in the Division A round or you
get bounced like it's so tough. I think for me,
a successful season bare minimum is winning the division. Again,

(11:51):
I think being a final four team is a success.
If you get to the championship round, I think that's success.
I do think from a ceiling perspective, I do think
this is a team that can compete for the Super Bowl. Again,
there's so much to be kind of fleshed out for
this team for the rest of the league. Kind of
really know who they are and what they are, I

(12:12):
will say, and I hope this doesn't make anybody too mad.
But I'm still kind of in the same position that
I was last year, where if everything clicks for any
one team, I still think the Baltimore Ravens are the
best team in the AFC just looking at what they
are offensively and defensively. If you take and again, we'll
just separate the NFC right now. I'm been talking about
going to the Super Bowl. If you're just looking at

(12:34):
the AFC and how these teams are built in their rosters,
and if you look at like if each team, if
everything goes right for them, where do they rank. I
think Baltimore is number one. I think the Bills are too.
Just kind of put that into perspective, which makes it
such a fun opening night game in Week one on
Sunday Night Football between Bills and Ravens. But I think
making the Final four. So when this says the championship

(12:55):
is a success, so I wouldn't say, you know, not
getting the Super Bowl as a failure and I thing,
but I do think the ceiling is getting to the
Super Bowl and winning it. I think this team has
the ability. I think they're built schematically for the league
now to have success in the league. They're obviously very
good at the quarterback position, and they can just get
a couple other guys to step up or some pieces
to fall in their favor. From a positive Domino perspective,

(13:18):
I do think this is the team that could go
to the Super Bowl and potentially win it, depending on obviously,
you know who they play, so on like that, Bill
says Niche conversation seems like a dearth of special teamers
from the skill group that aren't returner team guys excited
about the coaching upgrade, But who will be the specials?
I think this is a very good question, even just
starting with the returners, Like do they just go the

(13:40):
safe route and just say, hey, we're gonna go with
Ray Davis and Ty Johnson as our kick returners and
Kalie Secure as the partner returner or Shakure too valuable?
Now does Brad and Brandon Codrington get a roster spot
because of what he is as a returner? You know,
he's not gonna give you anything as a corner spot.
But is he good enough of a returner to just
make the roster because of his returnability? And then yeah,

(14:00):
that special team piece is it specter sticking around? Is it?
Joe Andreeson is it someone else who kind of funnels through?
Does JaMarcus Ingram step up and grab a Special Team's
roster spot. I do think it's interesting. And then even
going all the way down to the kicker conversation, does
Bass continue to stay steady like he was from pretty
much the middle of twenty twenty four on through the

(14:21):
end or does he start to get the yips again
and show the inconsistencies that he had to start last season?
Who wins the punter battle? Punter is all of a
sudden kind of like ugly and murky, even though this
team doesn't really pun a on anyway. I do think that,
and we know Special Team's value holds a lot of
weight when it comes to making the roster for the
Bills in Sean McDermott, Sean McDermott's eyes and the eyes
of the coaching staff. So I think that's a very

(14:44):
good question. Oh, I appreciate this comment, says Mischieann. I
don't thank you very much. I appreciate that. John says,
I'm assuming this is in reference on the time of
when you said this, John, I'm assuming this is in
reference to if Trey or I'm sorry if Harriston or
Benford go down. Who would you like to step in?
John's answer is Trey White or Dorian Strong, and then
he files that up by saying, I think Dan Jackson's
practice squad I've heard to Corey Kouch has played well

(15:05):
so far. I talked about to Corey Couch a little
bit last year. He's from the University of Miami. I
am a Hurricanes guy that is all about the U.
I would love to Corey Kouch to be able to
make an impact. I do think he's more inside the
slot and nickel bas than he is kind of making
anything on the outside, but physical, violent, some man in
match capability. I'm always down to watch. You know, a

(15:26):
guy that I liked in college play come training camp
preseason time, but I do think it would be a
little tough for him to kind of crack a roster spot.
James says, what roster spots are affected pre and post
Hoyt and Ogan Jovie's suspensions providing no injuries. I'm actually
gonna get into this as we speak about defensive tackle
on edge in this episode. So I think that's a
very very good question what I do. But aside from

(15:49):
those immediate ones, I would say what roster spots are affected.
Maybe you get an extra corner who makes the roster,
maybe an extra linebacker that makes the roster, maybe an
extra wide receiver. I would look at those three first.
Maybe maybe offensive line as well, but I would start
with those top three of corner, linebacker, and wide receiver

(16:10):
and kind of see and then you know, maybe even
safety depending on how you classify Ordan Hancock. I would
look at those. You know, they can potentially keep somebody there,
knowing that white Yogan Jobe are each going to miss
six games, and that's obviously outside of you know, keeping
an extra defensive tackle, keeping an extra edge k Moore.
He says getting a Super Bowl is playing good enough
games for is playing good enough games for three or

(16:32):
four straight games at the end of the season. It's
so much of it. I hate saying this because it
sounds like we were just saying that because the Bills
have been won one. You got to get hot at
the right time. You got to be healthy. It's funny
how often you know, most of the teams that win
the Super Bowl are often the healthiest teams come playoff time,
and you just got to have the board fall the
right way. Again, it's so much of this league is
matchups driven and matchup focused in season, but especially in

(16:56):
the playoffs where and even going to if the weather
doesn't fall your way the right way. I mean, even
look at the Rams, Like the Rams took it to
Philly and almost beat Philly. They had a chance to
beat Philly in the snow. I don't know, if you're
the Rams or if you're a Rams fan, are you
sitting here going, Man, if there wasn't snow like that,
we would have beaten Philly, you know, do you feel
that type of way? There's there's so many variables that

(17:17):
go into winning a super Bowl and getting there that
it's just so hard for me to sit there and say, like,
if you don't make the super Bowl or if you
don't win it, the season's of failure unless your team
is completely loaded at just every spot, and I don't
think the Bills are, and I don't know how many
teams are really in the league from my perspective and
quantifying that, it's really hard to say that. And there's

(17:38):
just so many variables. So yeah, that's a fair point.
Bill says, you beat up zay Flowers or a shop
Bateman at the line of scrimmage and send a missile
at Lamar every play for the first game, then change
it up with the suspended guys in the playoffs. Could
be put Uh, the Ravens are just so tough with
you just you just have you have to from an
offensive perspective of the Ravens, you just have to come

(18:00):
that so much like do you stop Lamar's legs? Do
you stop Derrick Henry and Justice Hill? Do you stop
Lamar's arm and his pocket ability?

Speaker 2 (18:08):
Like?

Speaker 1 (18:08):
Do you and even that with his arm? Like do
you stop him from making throws on the run? Do
you want to keep him hemmed in the pocket? He's
a better pocket passer and quarterback than he gets credit for.
I know he has prone to some mistakes and you know,
off at high profile ones, but I think so many
of the errors in his game have gotten blown up,
especially by the Bills fan base, and just that Ravens

(18:28):
offense is just so devastating from a conceptual standpoint, the
scope of what they're able to get to and how
efficient Todd Monkin, their offensive coordinator, is at putting players
in the right positions and setting them up for success
and putting in the most putting them in the most
advantageous role and getting the offense to function from a
cohesive standpoint. If they had a stronger offensive line, they'd

(18:50):
be even scarier. But just yeah, what they can do
from a personnel standpoint and alignment standpoint to pass the run,
they're terrifying. And then now defensively, if everybody stays healthy.
I love Malachai Starks at Georgia, and now they're looking
at a Malchai Starks and Kyle Hamilton safety tandem, which
legitimately could be one of the best in the league.
They signed JayR Alexander. If jay R Alexander stays healthy,

(19:11):
and now you're looking at your outside corners of Jai
Year and Wiggins, and then you can you still use
Humphrey on the outside or bump them inside as the nickel,
like they could have the best secondary in the league.
You have arguably the best linebacker in football and Rokwan Smith.
You've got talent on that defensive line as well. Like
they met a bk is one of the best at
his position. There's man, yeah, they're a unit on both sides.

(19:34):
Kent says, Trey White. Scares me. I don't think he
can run with receivers down the field anymore, that's fair.
I don't think he ever really nothing knock him really
ever could. He makes his living so much on technique
and footwork and being precise with his movements. I think
even more so now with age and miles on the
tires and the injuries that he's had. I really just

(19:55):
want to see how he looks come preseason and in
this defense, in this role. I think he was better
for the Ravens that he got some credit for, albeit
in very small sample size, and really just in a dime,
third down type of role for them after he got
cut from the Rams. But I think it's an interesting
conversation to have for CV three, like is it Trey,
is it Dane Jackson because of the known quantity, or
does Dorian Strong make a push given he takes a

(20:16):
lot of their archetype boxes and he's also got, you know,
youth and athleticism on his side compared to Dane and Trey,
even though he's not the most most athletic guy himself.
Charles says that the defense folds again in the playoffs,
that's an l I mean, obviously, if the defense folds, Yeah,
or Alan's or Alan has to play out of his mind,
Like I think kind of lost in that Chiefs game

(20:36):
with how it ended was. Alan did not start out
very good. He was very skittish those first couple drives.
I thought they'd pivot to the run game earlier than
they did. I mean, I thought they pivot to the
run game more. In general. I still wish, you know,
Cook got the ball more in that game. I wish
they started running it with Cook and Davis earlier to
let Alan settle in, especially how shaky he looked in
the first quarter, especially those first two drives. Again, everything

(21:00):
just has to go right, Everything just has to click.
It's tough. It's tough, man. Kay Moy says the Ravens
have the best A game in the AFC, probably the league,
but they forget what their A game is in the playoffs.
I think that's so well said, that's so spot on.
They are. I really do feel like on paper they're
like the best roster and I kind of made that
case the past couple of years at least in the AFC.

(21:22):
And yeah, it's like, man, if they click and things
go right and they play their A game, who's beating them?
And they just find a way to shoot themselves in
the foot or it's not even like they play their
a game and then also like shoot themselves in the
foot devastatingly, or they're just completely off their game. It's
just that's another example though, too, Like they're quality team

(21:43):
year in and year on, it have been for years,
but they just don't put it together in the right
way at the right time in the playoffs and they
get bounced or you have crazy things happen to them,
like what happened against Kansas City two years ago with
the Flowers fumble on the goal line after he got
stopped on that big game. It's just, oh, things gotta
click in the right way at the right time. I mean,
even look at Baltimore last year, Like you have a
couple Lamar mistakes against the Bills, but you have a

(22:07):
drop from Mark Andrews, the crazy fumble from Mark Andrews,
Like there's just the margin air is so small. And
the Ravens, yeah, just find a way to kind of
lose the game for themselves even though they're so terrifying. Yeah,
it's nuts, James says. First game against the Ravens is huge. Absolutely,
I'm very excited for it. John says, I heard Elijah
Moore as it is a possible returner. Could be We're

(22:28):
gonna talk about receiver in a little bit. John also
talks about Tyrrel Shavers working on playing special teams and
could be the Bill six receiver, and then mentions that
Trey White has good leadership. I agree. Claude says, on paper,
Baltimore and Philly are head and shoulders above everyone else. Yeah,
that's probably fair. That is probably fair. I also think

(22:48):
the Lions on paper have a really good team, but
there's this questions now with the new offensive coordinator. Bill
says the a game is mentally exceptional Josh and La Marvers,
Brady and Mahomes physically. I don't know kind of reading
this correctly or incorrectly, I mean, yeah, it's I still think.
I still think Lamar's performances from a negative perspective get

(23:09):
blown up too much. And again, I know against the
Bills the most recent game, the interception, which the Bills
did a good job enforcing. I think he tried to
do too much on the fumble and essentially kind of
did it to himself more than it was done to him.
Although the Bills crossed him up, so that's, you know,
tip of the cap to them. But I still look at,
you know, when push came to shove down and needing

(23:31):
a score in Buffalo, in the cold, in the snow,
Lamar marched them right down the field with ease and
kind of didn't make the best over Lamar andrew or
Lamar Andrews mark Andrews for that tying two point conversion.
But Andrews still should have caught it. I mean, he
put in his hands, and there's a lot of things
to dingle right in that Ravens offense in general was
unstoppable in the second half. They just ran through the bills,

(23:53):
passed through the bills, They did whatever they want. Aside
from those turnovers that changed the game pretty uh yeah,
a lot of momentum swinging plays in that one for sure.
All Right, Corey is saying what level of past ra
snaps and expected sad told those for rookie de Lynman
Sanders Jackson and what's the big guy Deon Walker starting
safety predictions beginning of the season and week ten, Corey,

(24:17):
good news for you is I'm gonna answer several of
those questions as we keep discussing more position groups in
this episode. I'll start off with let's just go into
let's go into defensive tackle right now, because it's actually no.
I'll start with wide receiver. It's a simple conversation, but Corey,
all of your questions will be answered as I go
through several more position group big than this next a
little bit. So I like where your head is at,

(24:38):
and I appreciate your question. Wide receiver is another one,
and the reason I wanted to lead off with corner
wide receiver. I have some other position groups we're going
to talk about in this episode, but we have talked
about them at different levels into varying degrees throughout the
rest of this earlier in this offseason, so I didn't
want to, you know, bang that drum too much again
or lead off with that drum, I should say, but
wide receiver, the biggest question, or the top question for

(24:59):
me here this position group is what do they get
from everyone not named Khalil Shakir. I think at this
point his role and his usage are very much established
and very much known, and he got paid like it
this offseason. But the rest of this group is question marks.
And I say that from a plural perspective, because I
think it's questioned marks across pretty much every other wide

(25:21):
receiver in terms of role, expectation, usage. We have an
idea of the fits, the roles, and the usages, but
I really do think it's unknown quantities for most of
the guys who are for the guys who are most
likely to make the roster, I should say, you know,
Curtis Samuel, for example, we saw flashes of what he
can be down the stretch, but can he stay healthy.

(25:43):
I am still going to maintain and stand on what
I saw in training camp last year. When I went
to training camp, three out of those first four days,
he was used as that adjuster, that move guy all
around the offense. He Brady was using him to create
horizontal leverage, leverage vertically. He was stretching the defense. He
was getting stuff in the flats and the low intermediate.

(26:04):
They were getting stuff to him by design. They were
using him to kind of drain coverage but also get
him into advantageous matchups against different body types. He was
cooking in training camp, but then he gets that toe injury.
They don't shut him down. He plays through it, but
the effectiveness just was not there. For the majority of
the year, and then coincidentally not. As he gets healthier

(26:25):
down the stretch and into the playoffs, he starts to
play better. He has that big touchdown against the Broncos
in the playoffs. He performed well against the Chiefs in
Buffalo in their first regular seat in the first meeting
of the year in the regular season. But can he
stay healthy? And then we have Josh Palmer? What does
Palmer offer in that Amari Cooper role from last year?

(26:46):
Ken Palmer be the one on one winner that they
need him to be. Can he be that guy who
beats man coverage? Can he be that guy who could
win at the release and win in the stem? How
much of a vertical threat is he? He's not a
pure burner, not a ton of speed. He's not slow,
but he's not some guy that just strikes fear into
CBS because he's so fast and he can get on
you so quickly and run by you. He wins more

(27:08):
with deception, good stem work, and within the scheme of
a play. So what do you get from him overall?
From an effectiveness standpoint? Keon Coleman, what do you get
from Keon Coleman in year two? Such a huge, huge
question mark for this year and really going forward. I
don't know if this is positive or negative, but I'm
in a similar boat with Keon as I was last year,

(27:30):
where I still think the ceiling is high for him,
and I still think the flow the flow the floor
is low for him. I think you can make a
case that, you know, Keon Coleman two three years from
now could be a top end wide receiver too. I
also think you could make the case that two or
three years from now, Keon Coleman is fighting for a
roster spot and you know it signs a bunch of

(27:51):
one year deals for the next four or five years
after that because everybody thinks they can be the one
to finally tap into him and get him to reach
that ceiling. I think the outcome is filled with a
varied amount of possibilities and likelihoods for Keon Coleman. And
that's a big question with this with this grouping, right,
because you also to do need someone to step into

(28:13):
that Mac Collins role from a run blocking perspective, Who's
going to do that dirty work, Who's going to fit
an insert on duo, who is going to block on
all these runs with pass tags and the RPO bubbles
and everything that they like to work. Who is going
to offer that. Hollins I think played a bigger role
from you know, doing the dirty work and just being
a glue guy schematically. Then he gets credit for everything.

(28:35):
Was so much like culture and he's fun. He doesn't
wear shoes ha ha. I look what he wears at
the Games. But he was more of a glue guy
for the offense than I think he got credit for.
Keon Coleman's got the body type and the size to
be that type of blocker, but can he be that
type of blocker that Hollins was from a technique perspective,
from knowing your assignment perspective, from a violence and a

(28:56):
physicality perspective, I think that's even just that has a
lot to put on Coleman's plate let alone. The actual
receiver quote unquote receiver stuff in terms of route running,
stem work, release work, and just the precision and the
craft that he needed to hone more at the wide
receiver position. And then you've got Elijah Moore, who I
really do think is the wild card of this group.

(29:18):
Wildcard meaning if you told me Elijah Moore finishes as
you know, the second most productive receiver after Coliol secure
for the Bills. I wouldn't think that's crazy, and I
don't think that means like anything bad or that doesn't
mean like, oh, well, they punch it on the season.
And that's why if you told me, you know he's
used sparingly as wide receiver five or wide receiver four,

(29:39):
I believe if you tell me he doesn't make the team,
I can see it. But I do think Elijah Moore
is going to contribute meaningful snaps to the Bills. I
don't know how much from a you know, usage perspective.
I think a lot of it's going to depend on
the factors above him, right like what is keyon Coleman
and how healthy concur to same movie. I think in
an ideal world for the Bills, Elijah Moore is like
white receiver five, maybe moonlighting is wide receiver four or

(30:03):
used in certain packages with certain looks, or having more
of a specified role within the offense, just given how
they are run. First team built on condensed formations and
reduce formational with and being able to marry the run
in the past. But I amaged to see what Elijah
Moore can be but literally, I think those are significant

(30:24):
questions and legitimate questions for each person not named Khalil Shakir.
We know what Shakiir is, we know what Shakur does. Also,
I don't want to downplay Shakir and make that seem like, Okay,
that means Shakir can't get any better. It doesn't mean
he's gonna he's he's plateaued. Shakira could continue to ascend
and could still be on an upward trajector. I just
want to kind of put that out there. But we

(30:46):
know what the floor is. We know what the baseline
value and usage is for Khalil Shakir. We don't know
that for anybody. Palmer hasn't been in this offense. Elijah
Moore hasn't been in this offense. Keon Coleman just has
such a wide ray on the spectrum of possibilities of
what he could be from Florida ceiling. And then you've
got Curtis Samuel who can't stay healthy and that's not

(31:09):
a bills thing, that's just a thing throughout his career
in the NFL thus far. So we'll see going to
comments here, what's up Pete Pete says It's a good
point on Samuel. He's been forgotten this offseason, but they
really didn't have him a year ago. That is correct.
I you know what, I do feel a little bad
for him because he I think it was turftiw that
he had, and turf toe sucks and in general, but

(31:33):
especially for a receiver who all the cutting and planning
and movement than you have to do, you could just
tell he was not right and he tried to play
through it, and it really didn't do him any favors
as far as the usage and production and in the
eyes of the fan base. But again, you know, like
I mentioned, and as you alluded to, as he got healthier,
we saw the speed, we saw the stride, we saw
some of the playmaking ability. I don't think he's I

(31:54):
don't think he's ever going to be like a true
wide receiver one honestly, maybe even a true wide receiver too,
But I think he is a guy that can be
a high wide receiver three, low end wide receiver two.
The guy who you know, maybe one game he has
six catches for one hundred and fifteen yards, but most
of the time you're looking for like three to five
catches anywhere from thirty five to maybe sixty or seventy

(32:15):
yards if he breaks one. But I do think the
schematic potential is there, the motions, all the pre snap
movement and the shifting, how functional he can be in
and out of bunches, and just when you get him
going before the snap. And not to mention, his most
productive year in the NFL came with Joe Brady at
the Helm in Carolina. They bring him here last year.
I am still going to maintain that they had a

(32:36):
plan for him last year that was unable to be
put into fruition because of his injury, and I do
think they try to get back to that this year.
It wouldn't surprise me if he balled out the first
several weeks and everybody's going, wow, Curtis Samuel kind of
came out of nowhere. But if you really looked, there
are some breadcrumbs that are there from last year in
training camp and from last year once he started to
get healthy a bit, James says, McBean seems to think

(32:58):
Keamus responded well to all season motivation. I expect big
things from Coleman. I hope so. I would really like
Coleman was my wide receiver nine last year, I believe,
but I would really love you know, I post a
lot of clips across the league, and anytime I post
anything from a rookie wide receiver from last year, everybody's

(33:19):
just like, man Keon sucks, which Keon as good as
lab Aconky or you know, man, what to play by
Ady Mitchell? Keon Coleman can't do that? Man? What a
play by Savior worthy? Keon Coleman can't do that. I
would like him to ball out and have a good year,
just so that would stop. But also just you know,
for the sake of the Bills, I don't know what
to think. My expectations for him are so again, like
I mentioned, I'm in the same boat as I was

(33:40):
last year. And if I if I bake it down
into just this season, if you told me that he
balled out and was the legitimate second best wide receiver
after Khalil Secure, I could believe you. If you told
me that he ends up being like fourth or fifth
on the depth chart at the end of this year,
I could believe it. And again, I don't think that
means he's terrible for the future, just do think he

(34:02):
has he has so much to work on from a
refinement standpoint and from a precision standpoint and technique standpoint
that it just makes it just makes his ceiling and floor.
Like I said, just such a wide array of outcomes
along that spectrum. Claude says, I'm assuming five writers wide
receivers unless someone goes crazy in training camp Shakir, Coleman, Palmer,

(34:23):
Samuel and Moore. I'm hoping pray there. I'm guessing Shavers. Yeah,
I'm going with five. Like I mentioned earlier with that question,
I do think with Hoite Nogan Joby having the suspensions,
I think there's an opportunity for a six receiver to
get a spot. I would think it is between. I
think Shavers as the inside track. Prayther, giving his size
and frame and skill set and traits, I think has

(34:43):
a chance just because he is a bit of a
unique guy in that room where at least off the
top of the the room is constructed. And then maybe
of an outside chance with Leviskus Chenault or maybe kJ
Hamler just because of how fast he is. I know
they liked what Jalen Virgil did last year. Just more
of a blocker and the motion guy. I think that's
a fair thought, Bill says student body right with Jackson Hawes,

(35:05):
Anderson crushing with two go routes with Elijah and Curtis.
Who's with me. I'll take it even further. I mentioned
it on an episode earlier this offseason. Give me thirteen
personnel and jumbo at the same time. So give me
Dalton Kincaid split out wide is the quote unquote ex receiver,
So he's outside by himself as a quasi X and
we are condensed with our five offensive linemen and also

(35:26):
attached to the line of scrimmage is Alec Anderson, Dawson Knox,
and Jackson Hawes. And just let me mash the hell
out of defenses and then just mix and play action
when I want, or see who's covering Kincaid one on
one and let him kind of work. Kent says, I
never liked the colemanpick, but I thought he did a
good job blocking down field last year. I think he's

(35:46):
a willing guy. I do think he's willing for me.
It's more of the question of being assignment sound and
the technique. It like seventy percent of blocking his willingness right,
but you do have to be in the right spot
at the right time. Knowing your assignment by positioning is
so important hands hand usage, hand placement, your base, everything
being solid. So I think the willingness is there for me.

(36:08):
It's just more of the question of the body, positioning,
the technique and being assignment sum John says, I heard
Palmer Moore did great no tas in mining camp. I
heard the same thing, which I think is very encouraging.
James says Coleman is his own worst critic, which is
awesome to see. Right, you want to see from a
guy who needs development, who has a high ceiling but
a low four. You want him to be his own
worst critics, so that way gives you some hope that

(36:31):
you know he's willing to kind of put that work
into be the player that you want him to be.
John says Coleman came to camp but twenty pounds more muscle,
and Coleman is practicing with Josh before training camp. Twenty
pounds more, twenty pounds more muscle. That's a lot, but
you know, I believe for this for a time now.
Number one CT Bills fan says, I'm going to be
really excited to see the defensive line in the second

(36:52):
half of the season. I like that comment because that
allow us to transition to the defensive line, and we're
gonna go right into defensive tackle, another position group that
I think has Again I'm not going to bang this
drump too much. I've talked about defensive tackle on edge
a lot this offseason, even as you know, most recently
as the episode I did on the day that Joey

(37:13):
bosas the Joey Bosa injury news broke, and I talked
about how important he was and what he means to
the ceiling of the edge grouping but the defensive line
as a whole. But I do think there is you know,
one large question and a couple of like sub questions
that factor off of the defensive tackle question or the
big question for defensive tackle that I should say also
ties into Corey. Corey's question earlier from the chat first

(37:37):
one anyway, that was on the rookie defensive lineman, one
of them being t J. Sanders, the other one being
Land and Jackson, which will talk about when we get
to edge. I think the big question for defensive tackle,
I think it's one big question, but I think it
splits off in the two parts because of the Lario
and Jobe's suspension, which really muddies this position grouping, just
like the Michael Hoyts suspension muddies the edge grouping. So

(37:58):
the first big question, and that again splits off into
two parts for the defensive tackle moving for me, is
who is the odd man out? Is the first question
for me? And then the second question kind of that's
an offshoot of that. How does Larry Ogunjobe's suspension change
things or impact things or open anything up for anyone? Again,

(38:21):
we've talked about it a bit throughout this offseason. I
think when no one is suspended, I think you're looking
at a top four at defensive tackle of ed Oliver,
Daikwon Jones, Larry Ogunjoby, and TJ. Sanders. I think there's
a chance for a fifth to be on the roster.
Could be Dwane Carter, could be Dean Walker. We'll see
what Walker's health looks like. But Larry Ogunjobi, as we know,

(38:45):
or if you don't know, I'm sorry to break this
news to you, Larry Ogunjobey suspended for the first six
games of the season, So he's out. So we're talking
opening night in Buffalo against the Baltimore Ravens. You're looking
at Ed, Oliver, Daikwon Jones, TJ. Sanders, and then what
else are we looking at at defensive tackle? So for me,

(39:05):
who the odd man out is is in reference or
relation to once Ogunjobi is back from suspension or if
all things were equal, But even with Ogunjobi out, like
we talked about a bit, so then you've got Ed,
You've got Daquon, You've got Sanders? Is it Carter Walker?
And Zion log Is it just another guy to make four?

(39:28):
Is it five guys? Are there six guys that are
in contention? But it's really only four or five because
of the suspension. I just want to know who the
odd man out is at defensive tackle. And what frustrates
me about the group is the redundancy of the skill
set they leaned into and just how vulnerable it makes

(39:48):
them against the run from a displacement standpoint. Again, I'm
not going to go into it too much because I've
talked about it a bunch this offseason, but you know,
they really leaned into the penetration and the gap shooting
aspect from the interior, leaning into pass rush more than
run defense and displacement limitation. So they're banking on Ed
and Larry Ogunjobi and TJ. Sanders just shooting gaps. I

(40:11):
think you're gonna see a lot of stunts inside. I
think you're seeing a lot of games inside. I think
you're gonna see twists. I think you're gonna see pirate stunts.
I think you're gonna see a lot of you know,
run blitzes, run stunts, slants, crashes, a lot of games
up front against the run and the pass. I think
they're gonna lean into habit creation more so than you know,
guys who can hold up against a double team, Guys

(40:32):
who can drop the knee or reduce their surface area,
or you know, be able to kind of lean in
and play with leverage and lean and mitigate displacement vertically
and or horizontally. Baltimore is gonna be a big test
early on because they want to displace you all over
the place, they want to push you around. They're gonna
use gap scheme runs and take advantage of guys who

(40:54):
get upfield and try to shoot gaps. So it'll be
very interesting to see how the Bills kind of combat. Yes,
Claude says they're still gonna have the same weakness versus
Baltimore exclamation point exclamation points so frustrating, Yes they are.
I think a lot of teams also have that weakness
against Baltimore. But yes, the Bills do have that weakness.

(41:15):
They're just gonna have to beat it by They're gonna
have to get up the field faster and shoot gaps
faster than Baltimore can pick them up and move them
out of the picture. And it's just gonna kind of
be a bit of a game of Russian Roulette with that, right,
like who gets who first? Do the Bills get you
or do the Bills get gotten?

Speaker 2 (41:32):
Like?

Speaker 1 (41:32):
And that's what it's gonna be. And it's a little
nerve wracking, but that's the bed they made and they
got to lie in it. Bill says, what's wrong with
having seven three texts? Yeah? And then the little emoji
the disappointment. Yeah, I get it. So we'll see what
this looks with this group looks like come, you know,
full circle. I think we know what it looks like
from an archetype standpoint, from a philosophy standpoint. I talked

(41:53):
a little bit about what it looks like schematically, but
really is just who's the odd man out. You know,
do they keep defensive tackles? If they do? You know
who's at the bottom there is it? Is it Dwayne
Carter over Dion Walker. Obviously, Walker's health is so important.
That back and that that spinal defect or whatever it

(42:15):
is that he had. I wrote it down and talked
about it so much during the off season for draft
prep and evaluation, and I've forgotten about it now. But
is his back good? Is his spine good? Can he
redistribute some of that weight and change his body composition
a little bit? One to help that back, but also
to just help his mobility because he is a big guy,
but he does have a lean lower body and thinner

(42:35):
type of legs, so you don't want him to carry
all this weight up top. I think Walker's path to
success in the NFL is filled with a lot of
variables and isn't as straightforward or as hopeful as it's
kind of being made out to be, I should say.
But they can get him healthy if they can change
his body composition a little bit, you know, I think
there's an opportunity for him to be defensive tackle five

(42:56):
or defensive tackle four, and then Dwayne Carter man just
somebody who was very ineffective last year against the Run
and in the past had some nice flashes, kind of
got caught in between roles in between weight. You know,
after Night one, when the Bills select Harston, it's like, oh,
you know, we think we're gonna have him play more

(43:17):
of of a one tech type of role, and then
all of a sudden they draft or Yeah, he's gonna
be that kind of the other one tech and then
they take CJ. Sanders, and there the role kind of
changes for him. It just makes you feel like he's
the guy that It's kind of like the Michael Scott
gift from the Office or the episode of the Office
with just like snip snap, snip snap, snip snap, Like,
I wonder what type of plan they have him on,

(43:38):
what the focal point is for him, what his role
will be. I think he's the odd man out if
Walker can be healthy. But I do think Walker's health
is a significant variable in Red Flag, and I could
see him being put being put on the pup or
not really even playing much this year and him being
more of a Year two kind of guy. So yeah,

(44:00):
we'll we'll see. I think Carter they're going to use
to try and be a bit of a three and
a bit of a one, which I think is a
disservice to him because he is built to be more
of a three and a leaner free a three where
he can penetrate and attack. So having him play a
little heavier, asking him to take on double teams, ask
him to play more of a one tech role, I
just I don't think it sets him up for success,

(44:22):
which is another whole talking point about this position group.
But yeah, so I think it really starts with who
the odd man out is. Obviously the Ogen Jobey suspension
changes things, but how does it impact the grouping and
does somebody step up? Who knows? Maybe you know Sanders
balls out his defensive tackle three, and maybe Dwayne Carter
is amazing is defensive tackle four, or Dean Walker is
healthy and good and he's defensive tackle four, and you're like, man,

(44:45):
they don't even need Oguen Joby back, Like where does
he fit in? Maybe you don't even want to mess
things up. Maybe everything clicks and works how they wanted to.
So I do think there are some questions for that
grouping want to go. James says, if Walker is healthy,
he could be the steal of the draft. You know what,

(45:05):
I don't think that's a crazy notion. I just think
if he's healthy, it's such a big variable. I also,
even when he was healthier, in specifically referencing the twenty
twenty three tape before the back injury really consumed him
like it did in twenty twenty four, I didn't love
his tape all that much in twenty twenty three. I
think he plays high again. A lot of it is
due to his size and frame, right, but he's just

(45:27):
he plays high, he gets displaced, and then his thin
frame with the larger upper body doesn't really do him
favors in terms of being able to kind of hold
his ground and not get pushed around. That's also why
I think he needs to change his body composition. I
think it's not just health. I think it's body reshaping
and body recomposition that he needs to undergo and engage in.

(45:48):
But dude's got size and frame, and he moves really
well on his feet. He's light on his feet, which
is both a positive and negative for that position and
a bit of a unicorn. So kind of just wait
and see and hope. Pete says it's the problem that
we're again needing so many defensive alignment to have good
years if they didn't have last year. Not sure how
many hits we can realistically expect from new additions or

(46:09):
improvements internally. I think that's very well said. No notes,
Bob says, look at the roles. Do you take the
cap situation into consideration? The Bills are right around the cap,
if not over, they still need to sign TJ and
have in season operating expenses. I'd take it into consideration
from perspective of adding new players. But they'll be fine.
They're fine from a cap perspective in terms of signing TJ. Sanders,

(46:31):
and then they can always move some stuff around with
relatively ease if they need in season operating expenses. But
I think it's a very good question, Bob, and I
like that. I like that. I like that follow up
from Bob says, do they take a chance of trading
releasing day one Jones or AJ Panessa DAYK one? I
doubt AJ Panessa. I think could if Hoyt wasn't suspended,

(46:54):
or maybe they look to trade him in like week
five or six or four, whenever the trade deadline starts
to fall, and as Hoydt is coming back DAYK one.
I'm gonna say I think it's a very low chance. AJ.
I'm also doubtful of but I do think has a
higher chance than Dake one. I think Day one's like
a five percent chance or much closer to zero. AJ.
I feel like Panessa has maybe like a thirty five

(47:17):
to forty percent chance. Again, Trade maybe thirty thirty to
thirty five percent chance. I'll say, I think that's very fair.
Oh James says, trade deadline is early November. Yep, that's fair.
So Hoyt should have some time to get accustomed to
the team and the lineup, and maybe someone becomes expendable.
I was gonna say expensible. That's not a word expendable
at the edge position or anywhere, and maybe one of

(47:39):
those guys a J. Panessa. Bill says, maybe Walker could
be a great goal line full back. The problem is
he just plays so high, like I can see him
running into the line and standing straight up and if anything,
he's gonna gum up the works for whoever they give
the ball to. But I think will be fun from
a chaos perspective, and because of that, I'm all for it.

(47:59):
Some people just want to watch them. Some men just
want to watch the world burn. The face of Bear
says Baltimore is a problem for everyone. Yeah, I do
think that's fair, but I do think certain teams are
able to combat them better than others, and the Bills are.
They're very much. I think they're more of a problem
for the Bills type of defensive design than they are
for most. But they are. Like I did mention, they

(48:19):
are a problem for pretty much everyone and have been
for years because they're a unicorn type of offense. But
as Lamar has grown, as the weapons have gotten better,
the addition of Tom Munkin is offensive coordinator. Yeah, they
can just put every defense in hell, but particularly from
a ground perspective. Yeah, they're They're not an ideal matchup
for the Bills, but again, they're not an ideal matchup

(48:40):
for most, But I think the Bills more so than others.
Ralph says aj Is Bosa Insurance and John Robertsons. I
read Dwayne will be three tech and one tech that Yeah,
that's a yeah as well. Good comment comment liking for
the chat. Liking it all. Right, So let's go to
We'll stay in the defensive line. Let's go to Edge,
talked about it a bit all in this episode. I

(49:03):
have a similar question at EDGE that I did a
Wide Receiver, and that's the big question for me here.
But just replace COOLU Secure with Greg Russo. So the
big question for me at EDGE is what do they
get from everyone not named Greg Russo? And similar to
Wide Receiver, I think you have question marks down the
depth chart of EDGE. And I'm not going to talk

(49:24):
about Bosa too much because I spent a whole episode
on Bosa when he got injured earlier this month. So
if you want details on that that conversation scheme and
individual skill set and traits, go back into that episode,
not the plug that or be like, hey, go I
already did this, but I just want to bog down
too much of the same kind of conversation I've already had.
But long story short, Ken, Joey Bosa stay healthy. Like

(49:45):
I talked about in that episode, I think the ceiling
of the EDGE grouping is tied to Joey Bosa. It's
there's a possibility that Greg Russo takes another jump and
becomes you know, Edge one. From a pass rush perspective,
I don't think he's there now. I think he he's
one of the best run defending edges and one of
the best run defending defensive linemen in all the football.
But as a pass rusher, I still think he's an

(50:06):
edge two. I think he's more of a Robin that
needs a Batman as a pass rusher, or you know,
a B plus guy or a B guy as a
rusher that needs multiple B pluses around him. Bosa, I
think is I'm talking a bit on both sides of
my mouth here, but Bosa is their best chance to
having a true edge one as a pass rusher. But

(50:28):
he has injury concerns. But even when he's played and
been injured, he's still been productive, so you can kind
of mitigate his snaps a la von Miller. And if
he's healthy, I think he's the edge one as a
pass rusher coming off the edge, and he's going to
be a great fit and well worth the signing. Even
if he's banged up. I still think he will be effective.
I just don't know how much of a true edge
one he's going to be. He's also a good run

(50:50):
defender as an edge, but you don't need that on
this team given Rousseau and Epanessa and Landon Jackson and
Hoyt when he comes back from suspension, and you don't
need more run to defense at the edge spot. You've
already got that in spades on this Bills team. And
with what you need from a pass rush perspective, mitigate
his snaps, mitigate the contact, keep him healthy, keep him fresh.

(51:11):
But I do think he's very important for this team
because he impacts the ceiling of this group. He has
the best chance to be edge one and be the
batman to Rousseau's robin. And if Rousseau does take a
jump and becomes more of a batman himself, then you
have two batman's and that's awesome. So that's Bosa aj Panessa,
I think is the next question, like what is he

(51:32):
built for two years ago? He was very very efficient
as a pass rusher. Last year we saw drops and
pass rush production and efficiency. But he was legitimately, legitimately
a very good run defender last year. What he did
on early downs, what he did schematically and even stats
from a stops perspective and percentage perspective, he was a

(51:52):
good run defender pairing with Greg Russo. But what do
you get from Aja Panessa. Is he early down run defense?
Can he be more of a complete three down type
of edge? Do you get anything from him as a
pass rusher? Does he step up as a pass rusher again,
but take a step back or down as a run defender? Like,
what are you getting from Ajpanessa? And then Landon Jackson rookie?

(52:14):
What are you getting from him? Javon Solomon some flashes
last year, but even though he's going into year two,
he's still pretty much a rookie. He having had a
lot of sample, uh sample size or snapshare for him
to really know what to expect from him. And then
you've got Michael Hoyt who has that six game suspension.
Does his absence open the door for anyone? When he
comes back? What do you get from him? Do they

(52:37):
use him as more of a traditional edge. Do they
use him as more of that spinner role or in
that spinner type of role that the Rams used him
in like the Packers use Clay Matthews him back in
the day, where you know he might be an edge,
he might be an a gap, he might be off ball,
he's dropping into coverage, he's rushing, he's you know, he's
the spiker on stunts and games. He's looping like you
don't know what he's gonna do. Do they use him

(52:59):
that way or do they need to use them as
traditional edge because they're not getting production at that spot.
And in conjunction with Bosa, if Bosa misses time in
the first six games, that opens up the door even
further for someone to step at edge or step up
at edge. Honestly, that's a bit of a nightmare for
me right now, because Heyt's already gone those six games.
If Bosa misses any time, that means you're looking at

(53:20):
a top four of Greg Russo, Aja Panessa, Javon, Solomon
Landa Jackson, Like that's your top four at edge. I
don't think that's good enough to get the job done
early on, Like you need you need more at that spot.
But that all but the question all starts from again,

(53:41):
what do they get from everyone not named Greg Russo?
And for as much as they've addressed this position again,
it's another year going into a season of like have
they do they have the answers at edge? What do
they have at edge? How confident are we in there
in their ability to edge? I will say they're gonna

(54:03):
be good from a run defense standpoint, which is nice.
I just have questions about the pass rush because if
you're not getting it from Bosa, even if you get
it from Rousseau, who else are you getting it from
in those first six games, Like there's just if Bosa
misses time, you're really banking on Rousseau taking a jump,
or at Panessa getting back to what he was in

(54:23):
twenty twenty three as a rusher, or you're hoping that
Landon Jackson can be something. You're hoping that Javon Solomon
can be something. There's just, as I keep speaking to
a lot, of the word I keep using is hope,
and you're just hoping and hoping, and it's just for
such a premium position like edge, and how important that
position is as a whole. Ver's both the run in
the past, but the questions that they have a pass

(54:44):
against the past as rushers, you would like more of
a known quantity and more answers, and they just again
for another season, don't have It seems like they have
more questions than answers that edge again for another season,
which feels like a recurring theme for this team. Oh,
I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it did
look at that. Bob says, Baltimore is to Buffalo as

(55:05):
Buffalo is the k C during the playoffs. Oh yeah,
that might be fair. Yeah, and but you know it's
such tough too, just like the Bills of the Chiefs,
Like both times Baltimore lost to the Bills in the playoffs,
like they honestly could have easily won both games, just
like the Bills could have won multiple games against Kansasity
in the playoffs. Yeah, that's very frustrating. I think Baltimore

(55:26):
is to Baltimore in the playoffs like Case is to
Buffalo in the playoffs, meaning like Baltimore is their own
like the Chiefs have been the Bills Kryptnit in the playoffs.
I think Baltimore is their own crypt Night Like Baltimore
just finds a way to screw themselves, like every playoff
against going back to when they first started it with
the horrible performance against Tennessee and then against some of
Kansas City stuff with the Bills, they just can't seem

(55:47):
to put it all together consistently for one run, no
matter how good they Maybe Bill says Russo is a
night Wing. Maybe Solomon could be a bat might Oh wait,
are you ranking night Wing head of Robin. I don't
know if this is more of a compliment for Russo
and you're saying that he's lesser than Robin or above,
I'm not ready. I mean, night Wing is sick, so
I would take night Wing over Robin, so I would

(56:08):
take this as a compliment. But I just want to
make sure. But I like where your head's at. Well done, Bill, Yes,
the rookies have to contribute absolutely. As James says here, Oh,
I appreciate you, John, John says like and share and
subscribe if on YouTube. Thank you very much for that, John. Yes,
if you are joining me here live in this episode
and you're enjoying this conversation or this content, or if
you're joining all the nice hot weather that's finally hit Buffalo,
feel free to drop ake on this video, or if

(56:30):
you're just in a good mood or whatever it is,
drop ake here on YouTube, share, subscribe, word of mouth,
all that kind of stuff. I appreciate you for that, John,
Thank you very much. I've moved from edge. Let's go
to safety, which again a position I've talked about a
little bit. Sorry, I'm about to cough. Who if you.

(56:51):
Last episode, I started coughing like crazy the end. I
don't know what about this one again too. Maybe it's
the weather change. I don't know. Safety two questions, one
of them significant, more important than the other, and I
think it's the big question. I think it's a legitimate
question to ask who wins the starting safety spots. We've
talked about it a bit on the show. I think
they wanted to be Bishop and rap I'm not gonna

(57:12):
do too much of the dialogue on this because they've
done it before. I just don't we've talked about on
the show. I don't think Bishop and Rapper an ideal pair,
even though I would like that to be the starting
safety group in an ideal world for me, I think
the starting safety group is Forest and Bishop. I still

(57:33):
don't like Cole Bishop's fit in this Bill's defense. I
didn't like it when they drafted him. I thought he
was gonna need more time on task than was initially
anticipated or thought by most folks. I still think he'd
be a better fit for like the Patriots defense last year,
the Ravens defense, or the Cardinals defenses that use three safeties.
Defenses where Cole Bishop can be in the box as

(57:54):
a nickel defender, as an off ball linebacker, as an apex,
playing in and around the box, in and around the underneath,
the low intermediate to the intermediate itself, and just allowing
him to match up on tight ends. Running backs play,
you know, sideline to numbers, hashed to sideline, and in
and around the box as much as possible. The Bill's defense,
you're not gonna get that much because they disguise looks.
They like to play a lot of two high coverages.

(58:14):
You got to play away from the line of scrimmage.
You got to process accordingly. I don't think he's there yet.
Maybe he will be after a full offseason and more
time on task. Hopefully he doesn't get banged up like
he did last year, and then Taylor Rapp is their
best safety from a processing and envisioning standpoint. The further
way he gets from the line of scrimmage, he just
doesn't have the juice and the athleticism, the range to

(58:35):
function in a lot of ways that you like. Forrest
is kind of the best combination of everything. He's got
some athleticism, he's got some vision, he's got some processing.
He can tackle a bit, he can do some different
coverage things single high, too highsome man. Then you've got
to more Hamlin, who is just reliable and responsible in
a lot of forms and factions, fas fast sets, soul

(58:55):
falling apart. I don't hate the idea of tomorrow Hamlin starting,
but I really don't want to see it, like I
would much prefer him to be Safety four and not
really see the field, like I would take pretty much
any other safety combo that doesn't involve him. No disrespect,
Give me Bishop and Rap, Give me Bishop and Forest,
Give me Forest and Rap, give me any of those

(59:16):
before I get DeMar Hamlin again, no disrespect to him.
And so then who wins the starting spots? And then
by extension who wins the depth spots? And within that
is DeMar Hamlin a lock to make this team. Does
Jordan Hancock, the rookie from Ohio State? Does he make
some noise at safety? Do they see him more as
a you know, more of a Nickel? Can they use

(59:37):
him to maximize some roster spots? And can he be
like Nickel two safety for special team value, some kind
of something somewhere type of guy who can wear a
jack of you know, a jack of all trades and
wear a bunch of hats and save them some roster
spots or versatility. You know, I'm very interested to see

(59:58):
and then even funk within that factoring than that too,
and this more than Nickel discussion tying into safety cam Lewis, like,
is cam Lewis making this roster again as the backup Nickel?
We also know he can play some safety. We also
know he has some special teams. Value safety is an
interesting one, but it really starts with who wins the
starting safety spots. And I just again, I think they

(01:00:18):
want it to be rapping Bishop. I think it will
be raping Bishop, but I wouldn't be surprised if Derek
Forest makes some noise. And I still don't just like
the I don't like the pairing of I don't like
bishops fit in this defense, and I still have questions
about it. That doesn't mean he can't grow to be
a fit with the right time on task and development.
I just I would prefer I would have preferred other

(01:00:39):
guys in that draft, prefer other options or trajectories, I
should say, in terms of that development and fit. But
I like him as an individual player and with his
skill set. I don't think he's a great pairing with Rap,
considering rap skill set and his traits and his functionality.
It's just and it's super annoying to have this conversation

(01:00:59):
with the safety grouping after having years of just being
spoiled with Hide and Poyer and you know, doing away
with the free and strong labels. Although Poyer was geared
more towards strong and Hide was geared more towards free.
But you just both of them could play split coverages.
Both of them could play single high. They each could
play in around the box. You could blitz them. They
could play in the slot. You could play buzz, you

(01:01:19):
could play sky. You can have them covered the flats
like you could play match. You could play man, you
could play spot drop just man. Yeah, it's a it's
a save. The safety position is frustrating for me and
I want Cole Bishop to live in and around the
box as a defender, like playing top down. What that
means that Taylor Rap is going to be your single

(01:01:41):
high post safety a lot of times, and I don't
think that makes sense for you like it. Derek Forrest
is a better single high post safety than Taylor Rap.
So it's just it's a. It's a frustrating spot for
for me, I should say, to talk about the safety grouping.
I'm a defense guy. I love coverages and talking that

(01:02:01):
and breaking down that aspect of the game. And h
and James says, but we have the safety whisper with
the laughing of motion. That's fair, you know, and and
that's it too, right, Like Sean McDermott and this coaching
staff have always gotten so much blood out of the
dB stone at both corner and safety. So if there
was any coaching staff or coach to get the most

(01:02:21):
out of guys at that spot and raise floors and
raise ceilings, it is McDermott and in this staff. But man,
I just I'm just not excited about the safety position.
I think I think they'll end up being fine, but
I do have concerns from a schematic perspective and just
how you pigeonhole yourself, Like do teams know like, well
they can't really go single high or we wanted to
get single high because we know we could win. Or

(01:02:44):
are you confident going single high for the bills and
you don't care who the single You know, the post
safety is in the single high look because Harriston and
Benford are going to be locked down on the outside.
Maybe that's what the thought is. That does allow you
to do some different things from a coverage perspective, if
your corners can live on islands and and you can
start to weaponizeer safety is a little bit more and
or mitigate their deficiencies. So I do think that is

(01:03:06):
a fair point. But we will see put up the
banner or the sponsor of the show. One Pie Pizza,
you folks know the drill the best pizza in Buffalo,
New York. I don't say that because they sponsor the show.
They sponsor the show because I truly believe One Pie
Pizza is the best pizza in all of Buffalo. Sweet sauce,
pie cup, and char pepperoni. If you get different toppings

(01:03:29):
or veggies or whatever, they chop them all up evenly
and then sprink them across the pie so you get
a good even distribution. They make their own homemade blue cheese,
which is absolutely amazing. They also have a catering division
called Elevated Catering of Buffalo. I had them do an
event for me at the beginning of this month, and
it was amazing. Just the mac and cheese. Is that

(01:03:52):
they had this chicken and then cocaonut rice dish with
like this salsa in different I don't mind. My wife
ordered it and I told myself to remember what it was.
All I remember is that it was delicious and amazing.
They just do so many great things at One Pie
Pizza and then the catering division called again Elevated Catering
of Buffalo. But they also do breakfast pizzas, which are great.

(01:04:13):
If you have not tried Some One Pie Pizza, get
yourself some One Pie Pizza. The online menu for both
and website, I should say as well, can be found
in the episode show notes, whether here on YouTube or
whichever podcasting Apple platform you're listening to this show on.
That is for both One Pie Pizza and Elevated Catering
of Buffalo. So treat your taste buds and your family

(01:04:34):
to some delicious food this summer or whenever you want
to go to One Pie or Elevated Catering of Buffalo.
And I also want to mention, as I always do,
they're really good people making really good food. They do
a lot of initiatives and drives for the community and
the city of Buffalo, and towns and suburbs and just
partying with Roswell, parting with the SPCA, Toys for Tots,
the Alzheimer's Foundation. They do a lot of good aside

(01:04:56):
from just making really good food. So go check out
PI Pizza. Or you're trying to do an event or
do some catering stuff. You know, it's summertime. Maybe there's
graduation parties. Maybe they're sending people off the college parties.
Maybe it's just birthday parties or events. You're trying to
throw outside and enjoy some part time or some backyard time. Whatever.
If you want some food for it, get one PI

(01:05:18):
Pizza or elevated catering, a buffalo, pick your poison. It's delicious.
I either way, I'm gonna put the bann up. This
says tootles flow so because we're gonna start to say
goodbye and wind down. If you have not already, please
please please think you drop a like on this video
here on YouTube. As I mentioned earlier, like so the
lifeblood of these live streams. So if you're watching live
now on YouTube, or if you're watching post live on YouTube,

(01:05:40):
please drop alke on this video. It goes a sincerely
long way to or tell myself in the entire team
to track and trend in front of more eyes and ears.
If you are not watching on YouTube and you're listening,
I'm one of the podcasting appster platforms that's very much
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Coverage on whatever podcasting Apple platform you're listening to this
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(01:06:01):
Coverage playlist. Subscribe to the Cover one channel as a whole.
We have be covered with a variety of content pretty
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check that out in the variety of shows. Whatever you know,
your flavor or fancy of Bill's content or football content is,
we have you covered here at Cover one. If you
enjoy this episode or enjoy this show or me, tell

(01:06:23):
your family, friends loved ones about the show, about the channel,
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you hate me or if you hate this episode, that's fine.
Tell your enemies about me or this episode or the
show and try and make them watch it and ruin
their day. If there's anything I didn't get to in
this episode, get at me on Twitter at pro Underscore
Underscore ant again Pro two underscores a n T at me,

(01:06:46):
message me, dm me whatever you want, same thing goes
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get the notification right away. And yeah, I appreciate everybody
for tuning in. I know we're again in the dole

(01:07:07):
drums and the lull of this off season, but we're
starting to ramp up a little bit here on the
show as we get the training camp, and then once
training camp it's it is a full speed sprint until
the end of the Bill's season. Appreciate you, folks and
tune in. And oh, we got this question real quick
from Bill. Bill says, if Max and Benford lockdown, what

(01:07:30):
is the safety concept called that is neither single high
nor split? Is that cover zero regardless of blitzing, Cover
zero usually is attached to a blitch. Cover zero just
essentially means there is no safety help on the back end.
Everybody is in man coverage. You have no help over
the top. Usually it's a company with the blitz. Brian
Flores for the Vikings uses a ton of oh my god,

(01:07:53):
what cover zero blitz is? He did the same thing
in Miami. But essentially cover zero is you know what
structure is on the back end. It just means you
have no safety help over the top. So everybody essentially
is kind of on an island in some form or
fashion with no help over the top. Cover one means
you have you know, one safety back there. Cover two
means you have two safeties back there. Cover four references

(01:08:15):
you know, the two corners on the outside, the two
safeties over the top kind of functioning as the four
on the back end. Cover three means you have a
single high safety, two corners dropping deep on the outside.
Those all referred to kind of the deep help that
you have. So cover zero means you have no help
over the top. There's nothing. Oh appreciate that, good question, Bill,

(01:08:36):
and thank you for everybody who was tuned in live
to this episode. I appreciate all the back and forth
with each other questions. For me, it's nice in these
episodes where it is kind of, you know, slower time
of the year, it's awesome to say still see people
tune in live and the engagement with myself and each other.
So I really appreciate everybody who tuned in live, and
I appreciate everyone in general. Whatever form or fashion your
episode consumption comes in, I am greatly thankful for it,

(01:08:59):
and greatly are you should have of it. Enjoy the
rest of your Tuesday night. I hope you and your
family and friends and loved ones are all doing well
and staying safe. Be kind to one another, take care
of one another. I'll see you when I see you. Godspeed,
and as always go Bills

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Buffalo Bills Roster Questions: Roles, Rotations, Expectations, & more | DC