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Welcome back to the Buffalo Red Podcast.

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Here with Dan it is Friday 812.

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And we've got some news bits to hit for our beloved Buffalo Bills in the run up to the

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draft in two short weeks.

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Dan, how are you feeling?

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And what's been happening for you, my friend?

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I am feeling like I am ready for winter to officially be over here in upstate New York.

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We have had a nice warm patch, but it is also a rainy patch as well.

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If we can get past this next little cold burst we have coming in, I think I'm going to be

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ready for the summer JJ and summer of course means OTAs.

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It means trading camp preseason and the eventual fall kickoff for your Buffalo Bills.

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So I feel every day is if there are signs in the universe that are bringing us one step

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closer to the start of the 2020 season and I love it.

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Perfect.

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Me too.

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I'm excited to get going with this offseason and with really the offseason training, the

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OTAs, the mandatory mini camp, all that stuff is like that's the time where you're excited.

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You're kind of living in the sorrow if you're one of the 31 franchises who don't win the

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Super Bowl and a big time football fan.

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You're living in the sorrow until those new offseason training things start to kick off.

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If you're a team who had a coaching change, if you're a team who had major stars leave

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via weird trades, it's not really a time to be hopeful for the new season until you see

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kind of an assembled roster and you see the free agency market wind down and then you

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get excited about all your team's draft picks.

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So that whole kind of May 1 and on summertime where it can be quiet and we'll probably take

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a slight hiatus with the pod because not a lot will happen while the league is off,

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but then we'll kind of return with a plum in the early summer before kind of, you know,

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the season kicks off.

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Does that all sound good, sir?

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That sounds good to me.

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I think I particularly like the part about coming back with a plum.

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Yes.

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I think that's a pep in our step extra proxy with the word of the pod.

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If you see me and Dan in public, we can, you know, earn you a beer sometime.

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Use a plum in a sentence that has to work though, and you have to be right.

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I've had three people cash that in with me here.

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I mean, too, I've had one person three times.

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So yeah, no, it's it's it's a fun little game we could play though.

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So yeah, what do we what do we want to get done here today, Dan?

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Let's talk a little bit about Bill's news.

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There were a couple of, I would say, minor moves that the bills have made in the past,

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you know, week or so since we last posted a pod.

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And then JJ, what I'd like to do is I want to talk about how the rest of the AFC East

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is currently stacking up, heading into the draft.

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We are a Bill centric podcast for obvious reasons, but I think it is always helpful

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to talk about the bills, chances, the bills roster, the bills, overall philosophy in the

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context of what the other AFC East teams are doing.

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Because as Sean McDermott always says, it has to start with winning the division.

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And despite the fact that the Buffalo Bills have taken these drastic roster steps over

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the past month or so of the off season, there are, I think, some some silver linings when

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you look at the bills, chances at least in the AFC East, compared to where their their

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competitors are standing right now in the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets.

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So JJ, let's talk a little bit about Bill's news.

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But then I want to talk about what the other AFC East teams have been doing this off season

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and put it into a larger context for what that might mean for Buffalo heading into 2024.

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That sounds great.

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Let's start with, you know, we know that the Buffalo Bills and we've covered some of this

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already.

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The defensive line has been bolstered with a number of signings.

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The offensive line that the most recent we'll talk about the ones that we haven't get covered

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on a pod, the office of line signings.

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Most recently they signed Lyle Collins, who previously was with the Bengals and before

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that was with the Dolphins, who at one time in his career was an above above average kind

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of pro bowl caliber at times, starter mostly with the Cowboys.

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He when he moved on to the Bengals, every team he's kind of moved on from has had the

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team has chosen to, to kind of send him packing or cut him with years left on his deal, which

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is never a good sign.

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You know, but I don't know that it's personality issues that usually comes up with injury issues.

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He just cannot, you know, compete at the same level and somebody takes over his starting

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job.

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And so and he's been very successful at being kind of paid handsomely throughout his career

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after being an undrafted free agent and kind of falling out of the draft.

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He's been good at getting big time contracts, but tends to, you know, tail off and not be

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at the value of that money and leaving teams no reason other than cutting him.

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He had a massive ACL MCL, everything in his knee got torn up in the 2022 season.

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He was expected to come back around and play in 2023, but then wasn't able to get on the

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field, kind of bounced around was on practice squad and stuff like that near the end of

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the season for the Cowboys, which is a good sign.

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If the team that you know, you previously moved on from is willing to bring you back

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into their practice squad after you've left, then it's probably not a personality issue

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or behavioral issue.

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It's probably just kind of business.

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And so with all that said, you know, the bills bring in Lyle Collins.

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He can play, he's played, you know, a few hundred snaps at left guard and like 4,000

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snaps at right tackle.

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So what I see there is an opportunity to challenge Spencer Brown and see where he's at.

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And if, if not that, then he might challenge David Edwards for the left guard position.

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And if he doesn't get a starting position on either, but shows out pretty well throughout

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training camp, I think you can see Lyle Collins as a premier backup for those two positions

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on the line.

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Let me ask you this, JJ, and it may be too soon because to your point, you got to see

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how healthy Collins is.

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But there have been simmering and listen, it's the off season, so it's lying season.

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So take all this with a big grain of salt, but there have been simmering and some bills

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inside her circles that Spencer Brown could be made available via trade for the right

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draft capital in this year's draft, ideally nabbing the bills, potentially that third

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round pick that they lost in the result Douglas trade.

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Again, it's reading a lot into a move, but Collins is a veteran presence that we know

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the bills of it.

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He's a clear floor razor at a position where right now they have affected their own depth.

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And you've got Spencer Brown who's heading into a contract here and he's got one good

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healthy season under his belt in three.

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So it really does make you wonder if the bills are considering trading Brown when he is at

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his peak value, because they're probably not going to be able if he does, let's say he

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has a gangbusters year this year, they're probably not going to be able to afford him

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under the current under the current salary cap restraints that they're facing on a on

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a new deal.

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And if he doesn't get hurt, you're looking at playing Collins.

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If he does get hurt, you're looking at playing Collins certificate time anyway.

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Do the bills while Spencer Brown has the most value in the eyes of other teams, consider

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moving on from him to gain some additional draft capital JJ.

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Um, you know, I could see it.

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He's in that he's entering the last year of his deal.

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I could see Brandon being looking at the kind of tackle market and how free agency played

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out for right tackles this past, you know, the past free agency and saying, I don't know

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if I want to spend, you know, I just restructured the on Dawkins.

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I don't know if I want to spend a massive amount of money on both both of my bookends

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when I can be younger vet and then potentially this is a decent tackle draft class when it

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comes in terms to players who have one or two excellent traits and then a lot of question

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marks as to what they'll develop into the top end of the tackle class, um, you know,

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is going to fall off before the bills probably pick at 2028.

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But, um, but the middle round tackle classes, like I said, it's it's people with a hole

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in their game.

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In some regard, but not all of those gaps in talent or skills is going to be something

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that's not teachable.

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So there's a chance that you kind of double down and you pour some chroma sauce on it,

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um, on a mid round tackle to be the tackle of your future and on a cheap deal because

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younger and cheaper again is the theme of this.

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And that that I could, that's the I can see it happening.

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And if you get a third for Spencer Brown, you literally what you you pick him with a third

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a late round or late in the round, third pick, and then you, um, get two excellent and one

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really shaky year out of him as a starter, and then you move on from him.

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I think that that's, uh, that's a pretty good, you know, that's a pretty good use of, of

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assets and resources.

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So I could definitely see that move happening on the contrary draft, develop and resign is

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Brandon means motto.

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And if you have who could be a rising star at right tackle and you still have Deon Dawkins

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kind of in the middle of his prime, why the heck would you ever move away from two starting

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tackles knowing that you can get Spencer Brown signed up for 16 to 20 million per year?

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Probably, um, on like a shorter deal so that he can hit free agency again, because I think

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that's the, that's the hometown discount you get.

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And you say, Hey, Spencer, we're going to give you a deal.

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It's not going to be top of the market, but you haven't been a top of the market player,

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but it's going to be a pretty short contract term so that you're still under 30 when you

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hit free agency again.

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And then if you want to get a huge bag of money and leave, we might be priced out because

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I don't think his play has proven irreplaceable value, um, at this time.

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And so I think his contract would be affordable next off to you.

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Yeah.

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All good points, all good points.

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I will be curious to see, because we've also floated the idea of Kyar Elam being put out

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there for potential trade.

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I do think the bills have enough fourth round assets to move back into the third round of

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the draft by bundling a couple of those together to hop into like somewhere in the 90 to 100

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range of that comp pick area.

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So I don't necessarily think that it is a likely move, but it's an intriguing move,

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especially with the depth of this tackle class.

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And like you said, the Buffalo bills clearly believe in the coaching philosophy and coaching

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style of one Aaron Kroemer.

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Otherwise, they went out of deconstructed the offensive line in the way they did this

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off season.

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So interesting stuff moving forward.

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But yes, overall, intrigue aside, palace intrigue aside, I think the signing of Collins is good.

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It's exactly what the bills needed to do to bolster depth at a position where they had

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hurt their own depth.

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And this gives Vandemark a little bit of breathing room or the ability to prioritize them over

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as our primary left tackle backup in the event anything happens to Dawkins.

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So solid overall depth moved by the bills overall.

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And JJ sneakily, as you take a look at the roster, and if you can look at it with as

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much objectivity as humanly possible, there are fewer and fewer holes that the bills would

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need to address.

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But they're really right now as it stands only two premium picks in round one and round

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two.

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So they're setting themselves up to do JJ what I think we have all hoped they would

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do, which is focus on a wide receiver with pick one, ideally, but at the very least with

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pick two, because that is still glaring need for this this team in that room.

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I agree.

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And I think that, you know, what we what we hope the bills do is really get I'm hopeful

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that between rounds one and the second pick they have in round four, they get two wide

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receivers.

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Because I think that for me, the thought of like a Julio Jones ask trade up where they

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give away multiple first round assets to get into the top 10 and get somebody like like

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neighbors or a dunes a Marvin Harrison Jr.

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If something gets turned upside down and he falls, I love that player like I love the

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idea of premier top end talent, like the lakes which hasn't been seen in three years

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of the draft.

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I like it.

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I just don't think it's worth that value.

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I don't think that you want to give up, you know, three or four top round top two round

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picks for one person, when this is a team that really needs to hit on those picks year

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over year if they want to keep this like championship window open that everyone's always talking

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about.

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And so I do think that they need to kind of in wide receiver in particular need to get

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two in the top four picks of this draft.

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And that would make me feel very comfortable, or one in the first, right, and then one in

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the fifth, right.

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So I just the two bodies is really what I'm hopeful for in such a deep wide receiver draft.

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We've got two bits of kind of sad news that we haven't covered yet.

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Vonte Davis, former bills, CB passed away in his grandmother's home in Florida.

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And then OJ Simpson has reportedly died of cancer.

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And so both of them had kind of, you know, one one far rockier than the other off field

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type things.

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Um, Vonte Davis retired in kind of mid half, you know, half time in the first game of the

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year, and that has been the laughing stock and kind of a punchline for Bill's mafia

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for a little bit.

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But during his career was a an excellent, you know, defensive back for a time.

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And then OJ Simpson, a wall of famer who is also had a Hall of Fame bust, but then also

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potentially killed people has retired.

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He was the first rusher in the NFL to get 2000 yards.

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And then he squandered it all by being potentially a horrible, horrible monster.

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So mixed feelings there.

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And it's always been kind of a curious, a curious reflection on OJ Simpson.

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I think it's funny because of our generation, we were not, you know, alive or watching football

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when he was a football player.

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And so that that whimsical remembrance of a great, you know, talent isn't anything I

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carried.

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I remember being a child and watching the horrible, horrible trial of the murder of his wife and

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her lover or something like that, his ex-wife and her lover.

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And remember, like everybody in the entire nation being glued into the results of that,

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that trial and it being kind of incredibly controversial.

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So yeah, you know, JJ OJ's legacy as a player is one thing.

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But I think to your point, the generation that we grew up in, I remember when our teacher

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in third grade paused class so that she could tune in on the radio to listen to what the

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OJ verdict was.

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There was something that was captivating in a horrific way around OJ and that murder

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trial that I think had a generational type of impact for a lot of football and non football

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fans moving forward.

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It's crazy to think that there are people now who don't know who OJ Simpson was because

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to your point, that murder trial captivated our culture in a way that I think is frankly

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impossible now with how split our focus is, how customizable all of our algorithms are,

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be it streaming or social media.

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There are very, very few things good or good or bad that captivate our culture these days.

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And OJ, I think, was at the peak of that in the 90s with the 24 seven coverage, the 24

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seven news machine covering it, the newspaper print dedicated to it.

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You had all these media that were media forms that were, if not in their peak, not necessarily

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in the in their nadir as well.

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And you were as bombarded as you could have been with information about this case, sans

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social media.

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So in a way, it is a cultural moment that I think a lot of people has it runs a throughline

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through a lot of people.

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But it was also this fascinating media moment as well, because when taken in full hindsight,

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it is like a time capsule of what the power of traditional media used to be before we

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hit this sort of new media era that we are in now where everybody's got a podcast, right?

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Everybody's got social media pages.

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Everybody has the ability to customize their information feed.

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You didn't have that ability back in the day.

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So significance and I'm not I'm not saying good or bad moral or amoral significance in

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the passing of OJ Simpson and that I am sure it's going to lead to a lot of revisiting.

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I would think less about his legacy as a player and more about the lasting impact.

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And you could fairly say the lasting negative impact that is off the field of legacy has

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had in so many strains of our media culture and our social lives.

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And for those of you that hadn't seen it, haven't seen it, OJ Made in America ESPN 30

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for 30, I believe an Academy Award winning documentary really encapsulates a lot of that

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conversation, I think very, very nicely.

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Well, and I think that too, yeah, I've seen a documentary and it hits the right notes

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of he was at a time he was a beloved cultural icon.

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He was in, you know, he was in the naked gun movies with Leslie Nielsen and he was doing

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the Hertz commercials while he was in his playing career.

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He was this like super charismatic, lovable person post, you know, his playing career

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and turning into an entertainment career both in sports media and then in broader kind of

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Hollywood and things like that.

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And for that all to come down the way it came down for him to then be on trial for a horrible,

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horrific murder was just absolutely shattering to a lot of people who had come to know him

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as a figure.

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It would be, I don't know if the I don't want to make equivalencies because that's when

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we might get roasted by somebody.

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But like, I'm trying to think of it'd be like Tom Brady being embroiled in like a multi

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murder trial, right?

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Like it's that kind of thing where it's a player that had set records and redefined

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a position in the league who had who's mostly liked, you know, post career, but then does

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something that is accused of and brought on trial.

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He was he was acquitted, but brought on trial for something that is absolutely horrific.

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And the late Norm, Norm McDonald actually got fired from SNL for repeatedly bringing

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up bits about how OJ he believed OJ was guilty of these murders.

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Oh, yeah, that though those bits have been making the round on social media.

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Again, as well, Norm McDonald, just a comic genius comic genius.

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All right, JJ, what do you say we transition from off field news to on field news in the

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form of off season round up here for what the rest of the AFC East has done.

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So as we have said, it's always important to examine where the bill's roster is relative

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to what their competition is going to be.

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So JJ, what I'd like to do is I'd like to go in order from team that finished last third

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and then second in the division and work our last season and then work our way up to talk

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about some of the key additions and subtractions that they face and kind of what their off

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season plan might might help us glean as far as what kind of team we think they're going

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to be in 2024.

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Let's start with last year's last place team, the New England Patriots who because accountability

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is a thing on this podcast where it may not be on many other podcaster shows.

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I picked Patriots to finish second in the division, first in defensive DVOA and second

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in offensive DVOA in the AFC East last year.

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Wrong on all three counts.

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And JJ, this year, I am not drinking any such Kool-Aid regardless of what the Patriots do.

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The Patriots walked into this off season with an obscene $80 million in overall cap space

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and Drod Mayo, new head coach, basically came out early on and said they're not going to

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be afraid to spend.

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All signs then pointed to they're going to sign a bunch of veterans because they're going

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to draft a rookie and have a rookie QB on contract and around a rookie QB.

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Everybody knows when you're in that cheap QB contract window, you surround them with

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capable veteran talent.

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JJ, I don't think the Patriots have been successful at that.

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Some of the most glaring weaknesses of this team last season outside of the quarterback

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room were wide receiver and offensive line.

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And the Patriots did shockingly little, shockingly little to build up those two areas to surround

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what one would assume would be a rookie QB with at least a base level floor to where

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they could perform and you could really see what you had in that QB.

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It's been a it's been a underwhelming off season for the Patriots, JJ.

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And I think my overall summary of where they're at is that this is not an environment where

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you could plug and play a rookie QB into the current roster and expect success.

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I think it would be the opposite.

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I think if they were to draft a rookie QB, they would want to consider sitting that person

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and going with the ultimate bridge QB and Jacobi Bresset who they have signed and allow

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that rookie to learn behind Bresset and then forward and then focus a little bit more next

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year in cultivating a better free agent class for your unit when the free agent class overall

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is going to be better, but you'll still have a significant amount of camp space to JJ.

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I just don't think the Patriots have done enough to a be competitive in that division

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again, which it didn't seem like they were too far away from but then be bringing a rookie

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QB and have them see CJ Stroud kind of immediate success.

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What has been your take on the Patriots off season thus far?

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It seems like they wasted a lot of time going after Calvin Ridley.

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And then when they didn't sign him did not have a plan.

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It's you.

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I guess that's what my biggest my biggest thought is the Patriots are definitely going

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to pick a QB in the first first three picks that I picked third I believe they're definitely

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going to pick a QB because they signed Jacobi Bresset and went for after reportedly no other

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you know they weren't in on Kirk Cousins or anything like that.

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So I believe they're going to pick QB in the first round and then they have nobody really

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to like for him to throw to they they added Austin Hooper and let Mike Gisicki go which

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for me feels like sort of a one for one swap.

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Kendrick Bourne is still solid I think he's a good receiver.

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But then that's it.

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I mean they have DeMario Douglas.

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They added KJ Osborne on a one year four million dollar deal.

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Juju Smith Schuster is still there literally forgot he existed in the league until you

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know the bills played the Patriots.

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Oh that guy.

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Taekwondo in Jalen Rager.

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Kshon Boot.

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TJ Luthor.

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Kwan Baker that's sort of their wide receiver.

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All nine of their wide receivers present and then for running back in terms of weapons

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they still have Remandrius Stevenson I think is amazing.

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But then they added Antonio Gibson who I think is a good pass catching back but not a player

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who sort of moves the needle like kind of you know resetting or giving you a solid kind

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of RB two for all situations if Remandrius Stevenson has any more injury issues.

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So it's interesting to me and you mentioned offensive tackle being an issue they still

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have Michael Anwenyu who they re-signed and they did sign Chukwoma Okorafor who I think

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is a solid signing and so they've made those sorts of moves but they're just like it's

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to me it just seems like the kind of team that didn't have a great plan didn't use

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its assets with so much money they did not get a single player to add to the team who

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I think is like a real needle mover.

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To me they just look like the same team that they were last year except now they're going

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to have a rookie QB and pass catching running back right like they re-signed they put a

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lot of effort and money into re-signing some of their stars which I think is smart.

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They ended up getting Kyle Duggar back on a four year deal that was probably one of the

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best safeties in the league but to me it just doesn't seem like they did enough to add any

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pressure or kind of put any stress on the bills or the dolphins at the top of the UFC's.

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This was a team JJ that finished 32nd in pass block win rate on that offensive line when

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you're talking about getting a rookie QB into the mix here for this New England Patriots

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team you've got a block for them like to have teams learned nothing from the Bryce Young

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experiment in Carolina where he was running for his life behind the line all of his rookie

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season.

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To me JJ I've never thought the Patriots were fully sold on taking a QB with the third

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overall pick I've always thought that's been more media buzz when you look at overall on

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this roster defensively they tend to be more solid but offensively this is a team where

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the cupboard is really really bare and to your point the only major move that you made

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in the off season on offensive line was to bring back Onowenu who could feature a guard

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or feature a tackle who was already part of an offensive line that had the worst pass

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block win rate in the league so not an upgrade but at least a stabilizer for what was a very

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mediocre below average line.

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So to me they've got to upgrade at several positions the skill positions being one of

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them I'm not as sold as you are on Stevenson Stevenson actually had some really good holes

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and lanes of that offensive line was able to create for him last year and I just don't

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think he's got the burst to take advantage of those I just think he's kind of like this

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plotting runs really upright very square type of running back and I just don't think I don't

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think he is someone that you get scared of at the skill position level so they need to

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upgrade a tackle they need to upgrade at their interior of their offensive line they need

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a QB they need a wide receiver tight end to your point they traded Mike Koseki for Mike

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Koseki Jr. and then they don't have anybody in the wide receiver room that I think you

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could say is a number one or let's say that they don't want a number one let's say they

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want an amalgamation of capable receivers I don't even think the floor on that room

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is that high because we saw them last year with Matt Jones and a what will be a similar

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offense this year granted with a new QB now Jacoby Percet you could argue is going to

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be an upgrade over back Jones I think we could all agree with that but they haven't done

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enough to me JJ to upgrade this offense in a meaningful way the disparity between defensive

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production for this team last year and offensive production was equaled in gap only by what

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the New York Jets were able to do but the Jets at least won some games last season to

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me the New England Patriots should absolutely do one of two things with the third pick trade

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back with a team like Minnesota or the Giants who might be looking to get up and get their

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QB of the future get a windfall of draft capital and premium picks this season and next season

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and start to build out a core and take a guy like bonix on the second round or take a flyer

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on a kid like Spencer Rattler right in the third or fourth round but this is not a team

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to me JJ that seems situated to bring in their QB of the future and have that person succeed

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they already swung and missed with Matt Jones and you could argue the situation Jones came

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into is far better than whatever this rookie QB is going to be coming into should they

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choose to draft one to me the the Patriots need to defer especially with the miss rate

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on first round QB's being as high as 70% in some draft years I just don't think the Patriots

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should dabble in these waters right now trade back or take Marvin Harrison Jr. or the wide

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receiver one who you think is best on your board take that person at three or trade back

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and start to accumulate some younger cheaper cost control tailored for the future.

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Absolutely I think that they could they need so much help that's the problem is they need

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a complete rebuild and we know from watching the Buffalo Bills when Josh Allen was a rookie

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and kind of pushed into starting that he had no help from the wide receiver room they had

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a a minimum floor wide receiver room which is similar to kind of where the the Patriots

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wide receiver room is right now and it was it wasn't until Cole Beasley stuff on dig

404
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some of those premium talents at that at that point of their careers were brought in that

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Josh Allen flourished and so I just don't see I don't see a QB they take it three really

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having the capacity to do anything special with the talent around him on this roster

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I think you're right I think it's a multiple multiple year rebuild I will say that their

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defense is probably going to still be very very solid they did not lose a lot but they

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also added some like small key pieces here and there so I do think that you know it's

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probably going to be the same thing we saw last year as a Bills fan I hope they take

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a quarterback with third pick and I hope that that quarterback is another massive bust

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because that just means another four or five years of the Bills you know having the Patriots

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number while they try to figure it out and probably another coaching change so I'm I'm

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all about that possibility but you're right if I'm a Patriots fan if I'm Brandon I want

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them to either hit it out of the park with QB who makes everyone about him better because

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that's the kind of talent they need given this this room on offense or trade back like

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you said and get a bounty of picks you can use to build that core.

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Yeah absolutely and I think Josh's first season in Buffalo is a really good cop because that

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was not a roster that was intended to be passed over to a rookie QB there is a risk in taking

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a QB with the third pick having Berset go down and then your best laid plans go up in

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smoke because now you've got to play this rookie behind in a less than ideal developmental

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situation so I mean to me if I'm the Patriots and I am a team granted this was all Belichick

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but if I'm an organization that has not shown the ability to build an offense outside of

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having the greatest quarterback of all time like if I have not been able to build a consistent

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offense without that person I don't know that I trust the track record of this unit yet

426
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to really thread that needle on a rookie QB pick and then use the rest of this draft

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capital to select meaningful pieces to support that rookie.

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I think this has to be a spaghetti at the end of the day.

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I think this has to be a spaghetti at the wall situation for the Patriots.

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They just need to have as many irons in the draft fire as they can and to me that would

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be a trade back.

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So JJ we're going to we're going to rank this team on a brand new scale that we're rolling

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out here for Buffalo bread on a scale of chicken wings for being the scariest and the hottest

434
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:26,920
one being the most mild and least terrifying to you on a scale of one to four chicken wings.

435
00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:35,080
How much do the Patriots scare you to clarify are these wings with blue cheese.

436
00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:36,600
The wings are always with blue cheese.

437
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:37,600
Thank you.

438
00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:41,760
The fact that you had to ask that question you don't know me after all these years you

439
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:42,760
don't know me.

440
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,000
No that was a softball to endear ourselves to Bill's mafia.

441
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:47,000
We're pandering.

442
00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:48,000
We're pandering.

443
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,000
We're pandering.

444
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:55,040
I would say half of a one like it's the kind of chicken wing spice level that you're like

445
00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:59,920
elderly grandmother who like always says don't make it too hot when you just use black pepper

446
00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:02,240
in a recipe.

447
00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:06,080
That's the that's I have no fear about this Patriots team and that's a Patriots team that

448
00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:08,680
built they split with the bills last year.

449
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:13,680
But I think that that split was more about the defensive upheaval with the injuries and

450
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,960
figuring themselves out and then it was the actual quality of the roster because that was

451
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,280
an outlier for the whole season for the Patriots.

452
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:25,440
Mac Jones to date and probably forever Mac Jones only career fourth quarter come back

453
00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:26,960
against the Buffalo Bills.

454
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:32,360
So let me posit this then rather than half a chicken wing how about we go with one boneless

455
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:33,360
swing right.

456
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,520
How about we introduce that not a real chicken wing.

457
00:33:35,520 --> 00:33:36,520
Yeah.

458
00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:37,520
A chicken boneless wing.

459
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:39,720
You get a chicken nugget Patriots.

460
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,880
All right Brandon is not going to be happy about that for the mock draft next week.

461
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:49,720
All right next let's move on to let's move on to the New York Jets who I mean JJ we all

462
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,360
knew what the hype was going in for them last season.

463
00:33:52,360 --> 00:33:58,040
Aaron Rodgers amazing defense finally going to unlock Garrett Wilson here as he takes

464
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:00,200
a step above his second season.

465
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:04,240
We all know what happened with Rogers getting injured the Achilles terror the drama around

466
00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:05,960
will he won't he come back.

467
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:11,000
Zach Wilson's complete and utter inefficacy and then what is really bubbled up in the

468
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:17,480
offseason is just a lot of like ego and drama and paranoia in the New York Jets locker room

469
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:23,200
which I don't know I found that I found necessarily surprising you know based on some of the Diana

470
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:27,840
Roussini reporting I think around what that squad was like last season.

471
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,720
But JJ nonetheless they finished third in the AFC East last year.

472
00:34:31,720 --> 00:34:34,040
They are returning Aaron Rodgers.

473
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:38,520
They have to me this is like the Yolo season for the New York Jets.

474
00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:44,480
They have added a lot of veteran talent on short term or one year deals.

475
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:49,520
Many of these veterans having questionable injury histories they are really trying to

476
00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:55,160
elevate the floor of this offense so that what will probably be another stellar defense

477
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,720
will not go wasted like it did last year.

478
00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:03,280
So JJ what are your thoughts on the New York Jets offseason and where do we feel they are

479
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:06,240
as far as a threat to the Buffalo Bills go.

480
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:10,960
So I think that you know we you and I would have both agreed in the offseason in 2023

481
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:17,400
that the New York Jets New Jersey Jets in Florham Park, New Jersey needed to they needed

482
00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:22,000
to have a better offensive line for a less mobile veteran quarterback pocket passer like

483
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,840
Aaron Rodgers and they didn't right they did not invest in that they brought a bunch of

484
00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:32,960
Aaron Rodgers buddies who are on big time ticket deals and were very poor performers

485
00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:37,480
over with him and let him kind of determine the roster and that seemed to be a massive

486
00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:38,640
failure.

487
00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:44,440
So this offseason they decided to double down and pick up Tyrone Smith the eight time Pro

488
00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:50,680
Bowl you know one selection on a one year contract however he's missed 37 games over

489
00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:58,280
the past four seasons like that is not not a tenable the Cowboys using him last year

490
00:35:58,280 --> 00:36:03,920
they kept him out of all live practice drills not just like oh you're not going to hit today

491
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:09,040
but like all live practice drills where people needed to move their legs and move in space

492
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:16,400
and have contact with each other which showed in his play because as much as he's been

493
00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:25,920
an amazing tackle during his career he definitely looked he looked slow old and ineffective last

494
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,760
season and so it's really it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me and again as a

495
00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,560
Bill's fan I'm relishing this I'm loving the fact that they bring in kind of Mike Williams

496
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,680
who tours ACL last last season and work in week three and he turns 30 in October during

497
00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:45,280
the season has always been an injury risk they bring in him in from the Chargers they

498
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:50,280
kind of double down they get Tyrone Taylor as a backup QB to try to like have an insurance

499
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:56,080
policy in case Aaron Rodgers gets hurt again they get John Simpson who's a solid that's

500
00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:00,520
a solid sign that's one good solid signing so they have a replacement for left guard

501
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:08,000
Lake and Tomlinson and that's part of the rebuild and so I like that that's a good pick

502
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:14,200
but they picked him as like as a hopeful prospect over some really kind of slam dunk prospects

503
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:18,360
like Robert Hunt and Jonah Jackson and free agency while having kind of the money to do

504
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:24,640
things and then a kicker a punter you know and some defensive pieces are kind of the

505
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:32,360
big big signings they made so signing one left tackle and one left guard and having the

506
00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:41,320
left tackle be a injury riddled you know veteran and the left guard be a hopeful project is

507
00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:48,040
just like you know and I want to say John Simpson is probably going to be pretty I like him

508
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:53,360
but I'm just I don't know man as a bill's fan I'm loving it because I just don't think

509
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:58,400
that they have done enough to ensure against Aaron Rodgers going down again or to provide

510
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:03,960
enough protection reliable protection snap after snap you know all you need is is kind

511
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:09,880
of a couple of long drives and then I bet you see Tyron Smith come off with whomever they

512
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:11,480
have as a backup.

513
00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:18,920
Yeah and the addition of of Simpson and Morgan Moses both from the Baltimore Ravens it's

514
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:23,720
a signal to me that they really want to try to make Breeze Hall more of a focal point of

515
00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:26,400
this offense which I think is smart.

516
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:31,280
The question is is Aaron Rodgers going to allow for it and then do you have the confidence

517
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:35,240
that Nathaniel Hackett is going to be the guy that schemes it.

518
00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:42,040
I mean to me I've seen a lot of media personalities say this is a high risk high reward type of

519
00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:46,680
offensive offseason for the Jets but I don't even think it's that high reward and I don't

520
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:51,880
think the Jets are looking necessarily are expecting this to go from an offense that

521
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:56,080
could barely score 17 to an offense that will consistently score 27.

522
00:38:56,080 --> 00:39:01,680
I think they want to field an offense that is going to close the efficiency gap with

523
00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:07,320
what is a world beater defense and still will be next season and I think they're just trying

524
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:12,880
to get to average on offense much as was the expectation last year because last year they

525
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:18,280
went in with knowing holes at wide receiver two and offensive line this season they've

526
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:23,480
patched they've put a patchwork together or some veteran presences that if healthy will

527
00:39:23,480 --> 00:39:28,720
be okay but then you still have Nathaniel Hackett scheming this offense and calling plays

528
00:39:28,720 --> 00:39:34,080
for this offense and these have Robert Salah who jury is out if this dude can be a head

529
00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:41,160
coach at the NFL and then you have the toxicity of last season still permeating this clubhouse

530
00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:46,440
allegedly the one smart move I think the Jets made was bringing in Tyrod Taylor as their

531
00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:52,560
backup QB no one ever wants to see a player get hurt even a player is annoying and self

532
00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:56,240
important as Aaron Rodgers no one ever wants to see a player get hurt no one should ever

533
00:39:56,240 --> 00:40:01,480
root for those things but in the inevitability that you're now 40 plus year old quarterback

534
00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:07,200
who's coming off an Achilles injury does have to miss time next season behind a patchwork

535
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:11,840
offensive line you at least have arguably the most reliable backup in the league and

536
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:17,200
Tyrod Taylor to kind of steer the shit question is what do you do is Zach Wilson because no

537
00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:21,540
no one seems interested in trading for him at this point so he is also still sitting

538
00:40:21,540 --> 00:40:27,760
out there on the roster so is there a world where Zach Wilson is like practice squad eligible

539
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:33,200
and he's like your emergency third QB like that whole situation is still looming there

540
00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:38,200
but to me JJ this is a yellow season because if this season does not work out from a personnel

541
00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:43,440
standpoint for the for the Jets, Salah won't be there Douglas won't be there and that is

542
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:49,080
a team that is looking for a reset and even if this team makes the playoffs this season

543
00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:53,760
with a 40 year old quarterback and all these veteran additions on offense it is not like

544
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:59,420
you are building anything for the future outside of Garrett Wilson so the question of sustainability

545
00:40:59,420 --> 00:41:04,080
of the success of this team is going to come into question as well.

546
00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:09,600
I think they are putting a lot of their eggs not in the Aaron Rodgers back basket but in

547
00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:15,280
the this defense is really good basket and is not seen the type of regression to the

548
00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:18,840
mean that other defenses have seen over the past few seasons.

549
00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:23,080
I still think it's a really good defense and I think they are going to try to strike while

550
00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:28,160
a lot of these young guys are cheap and cost controlled and in their prime because they

551
00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:32,720
just paid Quinn and Williams I want to say they are going to have to pay a sauce gardener

552
00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:37,800
and then you got a real live question about what you got to do with DJ Reed as well once

553
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:42,160
he comes due for an extension so JJ yeah go ahead.

554
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:47,000
And to just kind of piggyback off of the defensive line conversation with the Jets they did something

555
00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:54,440
so curious to me which was Bryce Huff leaves and signs with the Philadelphia Eagles as

556
00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:57,700
a free agent and they trade for Hassan Redick.

557
00:41:57,700 --> 00:42:00,800
They trade draft capital for Hassan Redick.

558
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:07,080
So they trade a third that could be a second if Hassan Redick has an excellent season to

559
00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:12,880
the Eagles for a pass rusher who in mind you has been good the last couple seasons I think

560
00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:19,400
it's a good addition but he's over 30 is at or over 30 and they let a in his 20s in his

561
00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:24,000
prime pass rusher who I think you and I would both agree I was afraid of when the bills

562
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:25,000
played against them.

563
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:30,120
So in limited snaps that guy as a situational as a situational like third long and late

564
00:42:30,120 --> 00:42:37,200
down pass rusher he was always in in Josh Allen's grill and so I think that it was a

565
00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:42,120
to me I'm just like that's such a curious move that projects to me potentially that

566
00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:46,680
Bryce Huff didn't want to sign with the Jets which may be a reflection of how he feels

567
00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:52,440
this team build is going because he was a situational only pass rusher Austin he might

568
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:56,520
just be like send me to a team or I'm going to a team when a sign with a team that tells

569
00:42:56,520 --> 00:43:01,520
me I'm going to be their number one defensive end kind of on the three four defense because

570
00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:05,560
he's an outside linebacker who's a situational pass rusher with the Jets and if that's the

571
00:43:05,560 --> 00:43:10,560
case you know I get why he walked but just so I'm like oh you know you could have afforded

572
00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:16,000
Bryce Huff with the money that you're agreeing to pay Hassan Redick and you got older and

573
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:19,640
you got you know slightly less upside.

574
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:26,360
Yeah it is it's this is so the variance on the Jets is either they could finish last

575
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:31,880
or they could finish first and there's not I don't think room for an in between the season.

576
00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:37,720
So JJ on our chicken wing scale for being the hottest and scariest and one or boneless

577
00:43:37,720 --> 00:43:41,160
being the least scary.

578
00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:44,880
Where do you think the Jets fall this is a tough one for me because that defense is so

579
00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:46,860
good but where do you think the Jets fall.

580
00:43:46,860 --> 00:43:54,120
So for me it's it's a three if Aaron Rodgers is healthy for 14 or more games and it's a

581
00:43:54,120 --> 00:44:00,240
two if he's healthy for 10 or less games.

582
00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:05,120
I'm going to say I'm going to say two and I'm going to stay firm at two and here's the

583
00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:11,240
reason why that is a scary defense but that is a defense that was built to be day ball

584
00:44:11,240 --> 00:44:12,760
and Dorsey.

585
00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:18,360
I think Brady wants to run a lot of heavier sets I think he wants to run the ball he wants

586
00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:24,720
to exploit short area yardage and that is not not the strength of this New York Jets

587
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:25,840
defense.

588
00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:30,320
The Jets want to put a roof on you down the field they want to lock down the boundaries

589
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:34,000
they want to force you into passing into the intermediate middle parts of the field and

590
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:39,040
I just don't think Brady is going to take that bait and I don't think the Jets have

591
00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:44,800
the ability when they condense down to really lock down in a similar way over the top.

592
00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:49,120
This is a team that wants to basically play a nickel package like the bills do they want

593
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:54,360
to rush for and get home with four if the bills can establish the run game and stunt

594
00:44:54,360 --> 00:45:00,000
some of that some of that pass rush heaviness that the Jets are going to bring to the table.

595
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,120
I don't think the Jets have the personnel to adjust so I actually think the Jets defense

596
00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:10,440
if Brady sticks to his core philosophy is a I'm not saying the bills will dominate what

597
00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:15,600
I'm saying is it's now a more favorable matchup for the bills as opposed to what it was for

598
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:21,360
Dayball and Dorsey who wanted to drop Josh back or put Josh and shotgun 99% of the time

599
00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:24,680
and let those Jets pass rushers have a field day with him.

600
00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:28,240
I don't think Brady is going to put Allen in the same situation and I don't think the

601
00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:36,000
Jets are set to deal with this kind of retro this kind of retro offensive look.

602
00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:40,880
So I'm going to go to and regardless of what happens in the drafter with Rogers, I do think

603
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:46,040
the bills are should be a scary matchup for the Jets offense and defense wise.

604
00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:47,920
Well, and I agree completely.

605
00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:52,880
I think that the the New York Jets haven't they have an excellent defense as we've talked

606
00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:59,960
about several times in this segment, but their linebackers beyond CJ Mosley are not run stuffers.

607
00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:05,240
I guess Chas Sarat out of North Carolina is is could be considered kind of that that downhill

608
00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:06,240
fumper.

609
00:46:06,240 --> 00:46:09,560
But most of them are lighter coverage type type linebackers.

610
00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:17,360
And I give me every single snap of Spencer Brown spilling out to take on sauce gardener

611
00:46:17,360 --> 00:46:22,620
on a zone run like every snap because sauce gardener is not he is physical with receivers.

612
00:46:22,620 --> 00:46:25,920
He is weak when he has to kind of fit the run.

613
00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:29,880
And that's I think why they play the defense they play in the similar ways that the the

614
00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:34,360
bills, you know, try to hide certain players in their defensive backfield who they know

615
00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:38,520
are not kind of at the muster to to hold the point of attack.

616
00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:42,320
And I think I think I agree completely in that the bills will be able to handle this

617
00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:48,200
team in terms of playing a more physical style of football and kind of running it straight

618
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:49,200
at them.

619
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:54,960
Which is again, you know, yet another endorsement of the bills to go out and get Breyland Allen

620
00:46:54,960 --> 00:47:00,720
or Audric Estime in the fourth round, if they're available, to have kind of that thunder to

621
00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:03,160
cook lightning.

622
00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:04,160
Thunder to cook lightning.

623
00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:05,160
I love it.

624
00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:06,160
Yes, absolutely.

625
00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:07,400
All right, JJ.

626
00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:11,760
Now let's move on to the team that I think we could both say safely has been the chief

627
00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:17,800
competitor to the bills over the last two seasons, the Mike McDaniel led Miami Dolphins.

628
00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:24,040
JJ, I was puzzled by the dolphins off season last year, because I feel like they will fully

629
00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:27,080
ignored areas of need for themselves.

630
00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:32,080
And because they were so fast and schemed so well and their schedule was so weak last

631
00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:35,640
season, I think they were able to hide for a lot of their deficiencies.

632
00:47:35,640 --> 00:47:38,040
I don't know that they're going to be able to hide it this year.

633
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:43,880
They lost a lot of talent on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, particularly

634
00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:48,000
in the trenches where this team was its weakest.

635
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:51,000
So last year, the offensive line was a problem for this team.

636
00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:57,960
And it is crazy to think that they had a 4,000 yard passer into a tongue of a Loa, but they

637
00:47:57,960 --> 00:48:00,600
had the 30th best.

638
00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:05,120
So third worst, past block win rate in the entire league.

639
00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:11,960
The dolphins 30 jets 31 Patriots 32, respectively, JJ, and past block win rate last season to

640
00:48:11,960 --> 00:48:14,560
tell you how bad those O lines were.

641
00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:20,880
But because of the we'll say hubris and intelligence of one Mike McDaniel, this is a team that

642
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:23,480
feels like it can be somewhat quarterback proof.

643
00:48:23,480 --> 00:48:27,080
And because of how quick they want to get the ball out, they can also be somewhat offensive

644
00:48:27,080 --> 00:48:28,080
line proof.

645
00:48:28,080 --> 00:48:33,480
But we saw when good defenses shut down the anticipatory windows the tool wanted to throw

646
00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:39,800
throw to last season, this was not a team that could stay with good, even average defenses.

647
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:43,080
They really did feast on a lot of weaker competition last year.

648
00:48:43,080 --> 00:48:48,640
So JJ, they've had losses to areas that were already, in my opinion, weak for them.

649
00:48:48,640 --> 00:48:51,200
They lost Robert Hunt to your to your point.

650
00:48:51,200 --> 00:48:52,520
They lost Christian Wilkins.

651
00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:53,520
Thank freaking God.

652
00:48:53,520 --> 00:48:55,200
Yeah, the defensive line.

653
00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:56,680
Thank goodbye to that guy.

654
00:48:56,680 --> 00:48:58,520
Have fun in Vegas, man, whatever.

655
00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:00,200
We'll see you once a year, maybe.

656
00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:01,200
Right.

657
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:05,320
And they've tried to patch patch it together with guys like one Jordan Poyer, right?

658
00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:08,120
Shaq Barrett, linebacker formerly of Tampa Bay.

659
00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:12,200
They've brought in John O. Smith, who I think is a sneaky good signing for them, because

660
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:15,240
they really did have a big hole.

661
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:20,400
They did have a big hole in their their tight end room last season.

662
00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:26,520
And I think a guy like Smith, while New England could not unlock his natural athletic traits,

663
00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:29,880
I think I think in Miami he could be a could be a force.

664
00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:33,840
But you know, Isaiah, when they bring back, you know, they've got Kendall Fuller on the

665
00:49:33,840 --> 00:49:36,880
roster now, Brexen Berrios, they bring back JJ.

666
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:43,880
To me, this is a team that that is in a worse position than it was in 2023.

667
00:49:43,880 --> 00:49:46,600
And they've doubled down on a lot of the same holes.

668
00:49:46,600 --> 00:49:51,920
And again, they don't have a lot of draft capital or cap space heading into September

669
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:54,200
to really fill a lot of these holes.

670
00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:58,080
So they need another wide receiver that was proven last year, especially with Tyree Kill

671
00:49:58,080 --> 00:50:03,560
and Jalen Waddle trading off on injuries throughout the course of the season.

672
00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:05,760
They didn't have a reliable third option.

673
00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:06,920
Maybe Smith can be that for them.

674
00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:08,160
I don't know.

675
00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:13,720
This is not an offensive line that held up when to his window and disciplinary window

676
00:50:13,720 --> 00:50:17,480
closed and he couldn't get the ball out in 2.3 seconds.

677
00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:23,120
JJ, I know they're fast and I know McDaniel is a good coach, but this is back to back

678
00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:27,720
off seasons for me, where it seems like they think they feel like they're the smartest

679
00:50:27,720 --> 00:50:29,880
guys in the room.

680
00:50:29,880 --> 00:50:34,240
And as a result of that, they can always scheme or work their way out of, to me, what are

681
00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:38,600
the obvious, obvious personnel issues and personnel needs?

682
00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:42,280
What is your take so far on the dolphins offseason, JJ?

683
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:47,200
Well, it's interesting because I think that they have net losses on both offensive and

684
00:50:47,200 --> 00:50:48,600
defensive line.

685
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:52,920
And by net losses, you might look at it and be like, well, they have more bodies than they

686
00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:56,560
did kind of before free agency started on both lines.

687
00:50:56,560 --> 00:51:00,640
But I would say that there's, you know, two, there are two signings that would be considered

688
00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:05,360
somewhat significant to depth and then to the center that they have in place, you know,

689
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:10,840
to Conor McDermott or is that their center that Conor Williams?

690
00:51:10,840 --> 00:51:11,840
Conor Williams.

691
00:51:11,840 --> 00:51:12,840
Yeah, Conor Williams.

692
00:51:12,840 --> 00:51:16,120
Their best offensive linemen were Conor Williams and Robert Hunt.

693
00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:21,080
Conor Williams is a free agent because he tore his ACL and is like waiting to see, you

694
00:51:21,080 --> 00:51:25,120
know, how that recovers before a team signs him, could come back to the dolphins, but

695
00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:31,720
they, you know, put insurance against that by signing, who is it, the guy out of the

696
00:51:31,720 --> 00:51:33,720
Tex or Titans?

697
00:51:33,720 --> 00:51:38,840
Gosh, I'm going to look it up here.

698
00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:43,520
So they signed Aaron Brewster, the center from the Titans to Aaron Brewer.

699
00:51:43,520 --> 00:51:44,520
Yeah, Aaron Brewer.

700
00:51:44,520 --> 00:51:49,960
Brewer, they signed him to fill that hole and lost Robert Hunt, lost Conor Williams.

701
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:56,200
And so really they got worse because then they also have a backup kind of a backup rotational

702
00:51:56,200 --> 00:51:57,200
guard.

703
00:51:57,200 --> 00:52:02,960
They signed some of their, you know, win and Jones re-signed, but they did not get better

704
00:52:02,960 --> 00:52:03,960
there.

705
00:52:03,960 --> 00:52:08,680
And then on the defensive line, when you, you know, you leave Christian Wilkins out in

706
00:52:08,680 --> 00:52:11,960
the cold because you're waiting on the contract, you know, that you're going to have to pay

707
00:52:11,960 --> 00:52:16,200
to Tua, he goes to Vegas and you get worse there too.

708
00:52:16,200 --> 00:52:21,920
So in the trenches where I think you highlighted their pass rush, when, when rate was terrible,

709
00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:27,320
they lost their two best players, one during the season, then one in free agency and replaced

710
00:52:27,320 --> 00:52:29,040
them with two middling players.

711
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:34,400
And then on the defensive line, which wasn't, you know, I think it's, it's curious because

712
00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:42,320
they lost Jalen Phillips and who's the pass rusher from the other edge from Bradley Chubb.

713
00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:47,000
They lost them both in season and so neither of them is going to be back until at the earliest

714
00:52:47,000 --> 00:52:51,200
playoffs and they're probably not going to be back at form due to the nature of their,

715
00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:54,400
their injuries, Achilles and an ACL.

716
00:52:54,400 --> 00:53:00,280
I just don't see, I think that's the thing is we focus on what the teams have done in

717
00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:03,320
the trenches first because that matters every snap.

718
00:53:03,320 --> 00:53:04,760
You're wide receiver, you're running back.

719
00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:08,840
They're not going to touch the ball every snap, but a defensive and defensive lineman

720
00:53:08,840 --> 00:53:12,320
is going to touch an opponent every single snap.

721
00:53:12,320 --> 00:53:15,880
And so they got net worse on both sides of the trenches.

722
00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:21,120
So and then you have Tyree Kill who's one year older and during the latter part of the

723
00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:27,800
season did not look as bursty or speedy as his, you know, incredible lightning self usually

724
00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:31,840
because, you know, teams were playing him too physical and he was being taken out of

725
00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:32,840
the games.

726
00:53:32,840 --> 00:53:33,840
Yeah.

727
00:53:33,840 --> 00:53:38,120
Last season, I think, and I've got to look at the metrics because there's great metrics

728
00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:44,480
out there from PFF, you know, Stathead and some other, some other places that show you

729
00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:49,040
the success rate of a wide receiver against press coverage.

730
00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:53,760
And it seemed like last season JJ teams were pressing Tyree Kill more and more.

731
00:53:53,760 --> 00:53:58,080
I mean, I know the Ligarius Snead video went viral of him.

732
00:53:58,080 --> 00:53:59,080
What did he'll say?

733
00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:01,480
Pressed him into Cancun or something like that.

734
00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:05,360
Like he'll, he'll was dominated in that playoff game against KC.

735
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:06,800
There's no doubt about it.

736
00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:13,880
But but it's a team that listen, and I know I'm on an island with this because I know

737
00:54:13,880 --> 00:54:17,560
the media loves Mike McDaniel and how cool and smart he is.

738
00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:21,280
This is a team that feels still one dimensional.

739
00:54:21,280 --> 00:54:26,200
And it's a team that feels like good teams and good coaches have figured out.

740
00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:30,280
And it doesn't feel like anyone is scared of this team this season.

741
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:33,640
It'll be interesting to see how their schedule shakes out and what the cadence of that schedule

742
00:54:33,640 --> 00:54:37,760
looks like, because again, this is still a roster and a scheme that is built for beating

743
00:54:37,760 --> 00:54:39,160
bad teams.

744
00:54:39,160 --> 00:54:43,920
But if they got to play a few more winning teams, JJ or a few more playoff teams, I don't

745
00:54:43,920 --> 00:54:48,160
know that this dolphin squad is going to be as successful as they have been the past

746
00:54:48,160 --> 00:54:49,160
couple of seasons.

747
00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:53,200
It just they don't have enough draft capital or enough cap space to really get better in

748
00:54:53,200 --> 00:54:54,720
a lot of these key areas.

749
00:54:54,720 --> 00:54:56,920
So it'll be interesting to see what they do.

750
00:54:56,920 --> 00:55:03,480
They've got the 21st pick like the like the Patriots to me, they are a trade down candidate

751
00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:08,120
in the first round, particularly if there is a team like a Carolina that wants to get

752
00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:13,400
up and maybe get a wide receiver or a tackle that is unexpectedly dropped.

753
00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:17,040
But then again, if you're the dolphins, you should be taking that tackle.

754
00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:22,720
Or if it's Jackson powers Johnson, or if who's the Duke kid, Graham Barton, Graham Barton.

755
00:55:22,720 --> 00:55:23,720
Yeah.

756
00:55:23,720 --> 00:55:24,720
Yep.

757
00:55:24,720 --> 00:55:25,720
If he's there, right?

758
00:55:25,720 --> 00:55:29,400
Even a Zach Frazier to me, who I think a lot, I think a surprising amount of teams will

759
00:55:29,400 --> 00:55:32,680
have a first round grade on.

760
00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:37,040
I think if you're the dolphins, you really got to consider trading back with a team like

761
00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:42,160
Baltimore or Kansas City, which is not ideal because they're your AFC competitors.

762
00:55:42,160 --> 00:55:47,040
But you could still get a great offensive lineman there and accumulate more draft capital

763
00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:49,840
because JJ, I don't know what they do.

764
00:55:49,840 --> 00:55:54,520
And to your point, they still need to figure out if they're going to sign to it to the

765
00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:55,520
long term.

766
00:55:55,520 --> 00:56:03,280
What's going to be due for at least an average per year contract of around $40 million?

767
00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:07,240
Everyone is using the Daniel Jones line now to bargain for their clients.

768
00:56:07,240 --> 00:56:10,960
And regardless of what you think about Tua, he's better than Daniel Jones.

769
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:11,960
So absolutely.

770
00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:21,960
I will add one more point and that's that their defensive backfield, I think, got worse.

771
00:56:21,960 --> 00:56:28,680
Zaving Howard was not a plus starter for the last year, probably year and a half.

772
00:56:28,680 --> 00:56:31,920
And so parting ways with him was smart.

773
00:56:31,920 --> 00:56:37,040
But to add Jordan Porter, who I think we both love, I know you do and I do too, has meant

774
00:56:37,040 --> 00:56:39,280
so much to Buffalo during his time there.

775
00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:42,440
He is at the end of his career and it's noticeable.

776
00:56:42,440 --> 00:56:49,000
His ability to kind of mix it up and specifically his ability to click and close when he reads

777
00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:53,280
the play at speed is almost gone at this point.

778
00:56:53,280 --> 00:56:57,960
I think that what we saw with him in his ball production, kind of, you know, playing the

779
00:56:57,960 --> 00:57:03,960
deep third and then his amazing, you know, run fits in Buffalo, those things you saw

780
00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:09,360
every game, game in and game out for four years in this past season, you didn't, you

781
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:10,440
didn't see that, right?

782
00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:12,760
Like you saw it in fits and starts.

783
00:57:12,760 --> 00:57:17,600
It was like a, you know, an overhead light with a kind of a loose wire.

784
00:57:17,600 --> 00:57:20,360
Every once in a while, the bulb came on, but it wasn't consistent.

785
00:57:20,360 --> 00:57:23,280
And so I think that that was a kind of worse.

786
00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:25,920
I mean, Javan Hollins studies, he's great.

787
00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:27,000
So I think that they have that.

788
00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:30,900
But if either one of them is hurt and no Jordan Porter's missed some time of the past two

789
00:57:30,900 --> 00:57:37,080
seasons with injury, even though he's a warrior, I think that they're kind of weak behind them.

790
00:57:37,080 --> 00:57:41,000
And then for their, their backup to their nickel cornerback at this point in time is

791
00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:42,400
Seran Neil.

792
00:57:42,400 --> 00:57:48,200
And as a Bill's fan, I was in panic mode every time that was the, that was the immediate

793
00:57:48,200 --> 00:57:51,280
next backup for the bills going into a game.

794
00:57:51,280 --> 00:57:55,160
If they didn't have somebody else to come in, I was worried.

795
00:57:55,160 --> 00:58:00,320
And so I think that that's, you know, their defensive backfield got worse this off season.

796
00:58:00,320 --> 00:58:04,280
And Jalen Ramsey, I think, you know, coming into a healthy season is certainly an upgrade

797
00:58:04,280 --> 00:58:07,040
over any of the cornerbacks they've had over the past couple of years.

798
00:58:07,040 --> 00:58:11,860
Kendall Fuller is a good signing as an understricted from Washington.

799
00:58:11,860 --> 00:58:17,480
And so, but their safety position and their nickel, I don't think is any better.

800
00:58:17,480 --> 00:58:21,160
So JJ, let's get to chicken when right chicken wing rankings here.

801
00:58:21,160 --> 00:58:25,400
So again, this is the, this is a team that has had back to back seasons in the postseason

802
00:58:25,400 --> 00:58:27,000
early exits.

803
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:32,760
And over the last three seasons playoffs included, the Buffalo Bills are six and one against

804
00:58:32,760 --> 00:58:33,760
the squad.

805
00:58:33,760 --> 00:58:40,120
JJ, how scary in a chicken wing term is this team to you?

806
00:58:40,120 --> 00:58:45,360
They're a four boneless or a three boned in wing for me.

807
00:58:45,360 --> 00:58:49,160
And the four boneless is, I say this, let me expand on that.

808
00:58:49,160 --> 00:58:55,400
It's because I think that on paper and what they produce indicates to me that they're

809
00:58:55,400 --> 00:59:00,280
always going to be neck and neck or ahead of the bills for the division lead, because

810
00:59:00,280 --> 00:59:04,840
if they're playing a lesser schedule, they're going to be up there because they beat up

811
00:59:04,840 --> 00:59:10,200
on small on, you know, smaller competition with, you know, with, you know, Tyree kill

812
00:59:10,200 --> 00:59:14,480
with Tua delivering the ball, they still have that speed.

813
00:59:14,480 --> 00:59:17,720
And Devin A chain came out and it was an amazing pick for them.

814
00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:21,720
I think there's like, they're still threatening and they're still offensive production is

815
00:59:21,720 --> 00:59:23,360
always going to win this game.

816
00:59:23,360 --> 00:59:27,320
And so I think for that reason, they're a four, but it's boneless because against

817
00:59:27,320 --> 00:59:30,560
premier competition, a lot of that talent folds.

818
00:59:30,560 --> 00:59:31,560
Yeah.

819
00:59:31,560 --> 00:59:37,640
And this this might be the most controversial rating I give up there with my Patriots Kool-Aid

820
00:59:37,640 --> 00:59:39,080
drinking last season.

821
00:59:39,080 --> 00:59:40,560
This team is a one to me.

822
00:59:40,560 --> 00:59:45,800
Again, six and one over the last three seasons against the Josh Allen led Buffalo Bills.

823
00:59:45,800 --> 00:59:52,320
And if you want to go back further, we know Josh has owned this particular squad.

824
00:59:52,320 --> 00:59:57,040
At this point, I think the league has caught up to what McDaniel is doing offensively.

825
00:59:57,040 --> 00:59:59,160
We'll see if they can piece it together on defense.

826
00:59:59,160 --> 01:00:04,720
I know they brought in a new defensive coordinator that a lot of league circles are very high

827
01:00:04,720 --> 01:00:08,160
on, you know, could be a future head coach.

828
01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:15,320
But it this is a team to me, kind of like the kind of like the LA Chargers with Brandon

829
01:00:15,320 --> 01:00:16,480
Staley.

830
01:00:16,480 --> 01:00:20,600
They think they're smarter than everybody and they don't realize that everyone has kind

831
01:00:20,600 --> 01:00:22,280
of caught up to what they want to do.

832
01:00:22,280 --> 01:00:28,400
So unless I see some sort of adjustment from the squad and offensive philosophy, I am not

833
01:00:28,400 --> 01:00:29,400
scared.

834
01:00:29,400 --> 01:00:30,400
I am not scared of the Miami Dolphins.

835
01:00:30,400 --> 01:00:34,640
I would be more scared of the Jets at this point than I would be of the Dolphins based

836
01:00:34,640 --> 01:00:36,760
on roster build, but recent history.

837
01:00:36,760 --> 01:00:40,720
Well, this this episode has been braggadocious, man.

838
01:00:40,720 --> 01:00:42,040
I don't think about where we've been.

839
01:00:42,040 --> 01:00:44,720
We've been like, man, bills are going to have a losing record.

840
01:00:44,720 --> 01:00:46,680
Oh, top 10 pick 2025.

841
01:00:46,680 --> 01:00:47,680
Here we come.

842
01:00:47,680 --> 01:00:48,680
Right.

843
01:00:48,680 --> 01:00:53,320
But then when you take a look at where the rest of the AFC East is, I think I think this

844
01:00:53,320 --> 01:00:59,120
I think it is safe to say that other than the Jets offensively, everybody's overall

845
01:00:59,120 --> 01:01:03,400
floor got worse in the AFC East.

846
01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:08,520
So the question is, is the bills floor now lower than the rest of these other teams?

847
01:01:08,520 --> 01:01:10,560
And I actually think it's a lot.

848
01:01:10,560 --> 01:01:16,240
It's a lot more positive for the bills than we think when you take the bills and isolation.

849
01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:18,120
Oh my God, Stefan Diggs is gone.

850
01:01:18,120 --> 01:01:19,720
Oh my God, we lost Jordan Poyer.

851
01:01:19,720 --> 01:01:21,720
We lost all these leaders on the team.

852
01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:24,160
If you take it in isolation, it's devastating.

853
01:01:24,160 --> 01:01:29,000
But you take it into the context of the teams are going to be have to play six times a year

854
01:01:29,000 --> 01:01:32,320
and ultimately get get through to win the division.

855
01:01:32,320 --> 01:01:37,240
It's not it's not as apocalyptic, I think, as we thought it would be because a lot of

856
01:01:37,240 --> 01:01:41,360
these teams, they're in their own versions of resets and rebuilds to and they have not

857
01:01:41,360 --> 01:01:43,640
been as stewarded as well as the bills.

858
01:01:43,640 --> 01:01:50,080
So if you were to ask me today, I still think the floor on the Buffalo Bills win, when floor

859
01:01:50,080 --> 01:01:53,080
is seven or eight, and I think the ceiling is 10.

860
01:01:53,080 --> 01:01:54,760
But I think 10 wins this division.

861
01:01:54,760 --> 01:01:58,120
I think that I'm with you, though.

862
01:01:58,120 --> 01:02:03,760
And the thing you said there that kind of perked me up was stewardship.

863
01:02:03,760 --> 01:02:05,240
And I'm just thinking about these other rosters.

864
01:02:05,240 --> 01:02:08,840
And we study the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins as much as kind of any team in the league,

865
01:02:08,840 --> 01:02:11,080
of course, because they're in the division.

866
01:02:11,080 --> 01:02:20,320
I can't think of many outstanding new young talents that the any three, any of those three

867
01:02:20,320 --> 01:02:25,240
teams have gotten in the past few years, other than, you know, Wilson and sauce gardener for

868
01:02:25,240 --> 01:02:26,240
the Jets.

869
01:02:26,240 --> 01:02:29,600
I mentioned Devon A chain for the dolphins.

870
01:02:29,600 --> 01:02:33,720
And like, it's not they don't have a lot of, you know, they haven't been drafting well,

871
01:02:33,720 --> 01:02:35,640
I think is the is the problem.

872
01:02:35,640 --> 01:02:38,920
The Jets have a couple more hits, I think, than the bills, but they've also been picking

873
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:42,480
so high year over year.

874
01:02:42,480 --> 01:02:47,240
And so it's a question of like, who's who's building their rosters the right way, draft,

875
01:02:47,240 --> 01:02:48,680
develop and resign.

876
01:02:48,680 --> 01:02:53,560
And I think it's just the bills and then maybe as a distant second, the Jets.

877
01:02:53,560 --> 01:02:58,760
And by that measure, it makes sense that for you, Dan, your ratings are a two or a three

878
01:02:58,760 --> 01:02:59,760
for the Jets.

879
01:02:59,760 --> 01:03:04,280
And then, or I'm sorry, a hard two for the Jets and then a one for everyone else.

880
01:03:04,280 --> 01:03:07,680
I'm a little bit higher on the dolphins, because I still think that their their offense can

881
01:03:07,680 --> 01:03:11,280
produce and kind of cause some problems in the in the division.

882
01:03:11,280 --> 01:03:16,800
But yeah, I mean, when you look at the bills, you know, hitting on Osiris Torrance, Dalton

883
01:03:16,800 --> 01:03:22,000
Kincaid, who are both kind of really bright stars after just one year production, James

884
01:03:22,000 --> 01:03:29,200
Cook, Terrell Bernard, even, you know, somebody like Christian Benford, right, a solid starting

885
01:03:29,200 --> 01:03:32,320
cornerback picked up in the leader rounds.

886
01:03:32,320 --> 01:03:34,360
The bills have hit on a lot of things.

887
01:03:34,360 --> 01:03:37,920
And their their win rate in the draft has been pretty good the last two seasons.

888
01:03:37,920 --> 01:03:42,000
So really looking forward to that and kind of taking hope from it.

889
01:03:42,000 --> 01:03:43,360
Absolutely, JJ.

890
01:03:43,360 --> 01:03:44,360
Absolutely.

891
01:03:44,360 --> 01:03:48,200
So that is it for our AFC East roundup here.

892
01:03:48,200 --> 01:03:54,280
So next week, we will dive into our very, very fun friends of the pod, not friends of

893
01:03:54,280 --> 01:03:59,080
the bills, three round mock draft with all of our various host guests and fans of other

894
01:03:59,080 --> 01:04:05,280
AFC East teams coming in to do a mock draft with us leading into the real draft, which

895
01:04:05,280 --> 01:04:08,360
is blessedly only two weeks away at this point.

896
01:04:08,360 --> 01:04:12,040
So until then, for all of you listening at home, like, share and subscribe, wherever

897
01:04:12,040 --> 01:04:30,440
you get your podcasts, Google, Apple, Spotify and as always go bills.