Buffalo Bills Talk 2018 - The Offseason

[Dubi Doo]

The NFL is not losing money, they made a BILLION dollars more this year then last. While TV ratings as a whole (as in all TV ratings) were down, the NFL's ratings were up in comparison to most other things.

As usually, don't believe the hype.

I thought I read that people watching the sport was on a steady decline. That's why they tried to make a change to commercial breaks. Either way, they have a right to limit this sort of stuff, but I must admit I'm against their decision.

 

[missingmika]

I thought I read that people watching the sport was on a steady decline. That's why they tried to make a change to commercial breaks. Either way, they have a right to limit this sort of stuff, but I must admit I'm against their decision.

There's been a decline in viewship ratings. But I wonder how much of that is just people streaming with alternative means. With so many cordcutters and the ease of access to grab an out of market game, it would make sense to see a decrease in ratings but have viewship remain constant.

On top of "other means" to stream, there's legal streaming like Verizon's service that let's you stream games on your phone that doesn't get caught in ratings. (It also took Verizon several years to catch up on GPS spoofing to get any game you wanted that they finally cut out last year)

 

[brian_griffin]

Isn't that kind of the point of the protest? To get people who wouldn't normally have an idea about the issue be forced to confront an issue that is probably uncomfortable to them? Plus provide a ntional spotlight on the issue?

If Kaep just does it in front of his house, then a ton of people can just ignore it. You can't ignore it if it's on the TV.

I think NFLPA will organize and get everyone to stay in the locker rooms or Week 1, the organize to get everyone in the league to kneel again.

Plus now, players will just kneel in the locker room. It's not like film or pictures of that won't get out either. You'll still have the same lists from ESPN of everyone that protested that week.

With the supreme court ruling for legalized sports gambling, kind of a bummer this is relegated to the locker room. Imagine the opportunity for players to mess with side-bet betting lines as to who will and won't kneel for the anthem...

And yes, regardless of whether the anthem was or wasn't universally broadcast on TV, and whether teams / players did or didn't stay in the locker room for it, Bud Grant Vikings teams were on the sideline for it, and practiced uniformly respectful decorum. He was that kind of coach, in the manner John Wooden began coaching basketball by teaching how to properly lace, don, and tie your sneakers.

 

[Icicle]

It doesn’t matter if they don’t actually show the anthem or the kneelers. The damn sports media monopolies don’t shut up about covering it in an in your face manner. Instead of talking about the damn sport.

Well guess what- ratings for both the NFL and ESPN ranked as a result of it. Don’t give me junk monetary increases that aren’t inflation adjusted or account for tv contract overlap periods.

They all signed their own fates giving in to the short term ratings to push that crap and they’re all suffering for it now. I can’t wait for alternatives like The Athletic to take these fools out.

 

[MayDay]

Hey, protest your cute little heart out to whatever cause you want to champion. I’m not saying any cause is or isn’t important. The level of what’s important to you isn’t at the same level as everyone who watches the sport you play. Get over yourself. Do it on Facebook. Do it on instagram. Do it on Snapchat. Do it on Twitter. Do it on any number of XYZ websites. Hell, do it on your front lawn for all I care. You’ll have a massive massive audience at those places so your 15 mins of fame can last and last and last and ...

But is it too much to ask when I sit down and relax, or pay money to see a live sporting event I want to escape politics and social issues and just veg out and enjoy competition between my favorite team and an opponent? Must I be bombarded 24/7 everywhere I turn with that kind of crap?
Worst comes to worst, I’ll put the game on just as the actual game clock starts to tick.
Don’t agree? I couldn’t care less. I just couldn’t.

The problem with saying "go do it on your own time where I don't have to see it" (which is a view I have seen a lot) is that that is not how effective protest works. The entire point of political protest is to reach people who are comfortable with the status quo, and make them uncomfortable in some way. Every successful protest movement has worked this way, whether it was sitting in lunch counters, occupying university administration buildings, marching on highways, etc. You have to inconvenience or frustrate people who are complacent - otherwise nothing changes.

That is exactly why they are doing it during the anthem. Because it frustrates people like you, and it's hard for you to ignore. If they did a protest that was easy for most people to ignore or avoid, what good would that do? What is the point of stating one's opinions to one's followers on social media? That's just preaching to the choir.

And for the record, all these players do a lot of work "on their own time" towards their social causes, and in their communities. But if you want broader social change in the larger society, you need to reach the general public and somehow make them pay attention. At least make them aware there is a problem.

I do agree with you that I would prefer politics to be out of pro sports. But that just raises the question for me why we even have the anthem at pro sports to begin with. If we don't want politics there, why do we have it? Why all the military stuff? The flyovers and giant flags and stuff. No other country (aside from Canada) has their anthem and all this militarism and nationalism tied up in their pro sports. And we don't have find the anthem to be necessary to any other form of entertainment. We don't play it before concerts or plays or movies or anything else. Why do we need it in sports? What the heck does it have to do with sports? I mean, I know that the Pentagon paid money to the NFL for several years to do their on field "military appreciation" stuff as a recruiting/advertising tool - but it is a much more widespread and long-lasting trend than just that.

 

[MayDay]

BTW, that is why the new policy is a total victory for the owners over the players.

They have completely neutered the protest movement. There is no point to protesting in the locker room where no one can see you. The entire point is to be in the public eye.

The protesters have been incredibly brave to this point, risking their own careers (in one case being completely blackballed) and facing vicious comments and even death threats from some segments of the fan base. Now we will see if they are willing to carry on in the face of official fines and punishments from the league.

 

[Jim Bob]

Doug Baldwin “not surprised” by new anthem rule

“We’re not talking about people who are in the stands drunk during the national anthem with their hats still on, yelling at players, cussing during the National Anthem,” Baldwin said in August, more than a month before President Trump’s comments turned the NFL upside down. “We’re not talking about that.”

We’ll be talking about it plenty as the 2018 season approaches, because the conduct of fans who helped pressure the league into unilaterally removing the players’ right to protest, to the extent it hasn’t been an issue in the past, will be now.

And it means everyone needs to be out of the restrooms, away from the concession stands, out of the concourse areas, at their seats or in the aisles, hats off, hands on hearts, phones in pockets, mouths shut (unless singing or trying to), and solemn respect and reverence for the anthem and the flag. And if teams and players will be subject to fines and other punishment if they fail to comply, fans should be subject to ejection, too.

If you think that sounds ridiculous and unacceptable, congratulations. You’re dangerously close to getting it.

As Michael Irvin once said, "Keep the intensity. Don't lose the intensity."

 

[Jim Bob]

Kim Pegula doubts ability to get new stadium in Buffalo

The other owners aren't going to be happy with that.

 

[missingmika]

BTW, that is why the new policy is a total victory for the owners over the players.

They have completely neutered the protest movement. There is no point to protesting in the locker room where no one can see you. The entire point is to be in the public eye.

The protesters have been incredibly brave to this point, risking their own careers (in one case being completely blackballed) and facing vicious comments and even death threats from some segments of the fan base. Now we will see if they are willing to carry on in the face of official fines and punishments from the league.

Does it really? A couple stations stopped showing the anthem last year so no one saw the protests but it didn't stop the protests and people still talked about the protests.

Now at the start of each game they'll just have a list of who is in the field and who is off the field for the anthem. Same message is being heard.

Just wait until a random week and Aaron Rodgers needs to get some quick equipment work done before the game and misses the anthem. Then we will have a whole news cycles on if Rodgers was protesting.

Plus the fines are to the team, not the player. If Shady decided to take the field for the anthem and do his stretches again, the Bills get fined and nothing happens to McCoy.

If anything, I think this rule is a major win for the players and the protests.

 

[TehDoak]

BTW, that is why the new policy is a total victory for the owners over the players.

They have completely neutered the protest movement. There is no point to protesting in the locker room where no one can see you. The entire point is to be in the public eye.

The protesters have been incredibly brave to this point, risking their own careers (in one case being completely blackballed) and facing vicious comments and even death threats from some segments of the fan base. Now we will see if they are willing to carry on in the face of official fines and punishments from the league.

I hope they continue to protest.

NFLPA needs to file suit at this point. Employers shouldn't be able to silence a non violent protest that doesn't interfere with players duties.

 

[SoFFacet]

I’ve got you’re back on this..well said. Don’t mess with my flag and what it means to millions of Americans..past and present.

Millions of Americans think that the flag represents a republic governed by the Constitution, containing the 1st Amendment, which guarantees the right to peaceful protest. Novel concept, I know.

If the NFL had any moral courage, they would have sided with their players and told the anti-1st-Amendment segment of the fanbase to stuff it.

 

[vcv]

If you think an empty gesture (standing) to a symbol (National Anthem, not the flag) is more important than actually exercising freedoms to raise awareness for injustice, you are showing your hand and that hand is not a good one.

 

[vcv]

I’ve got you’re back on this..well said. Don’t mess with my flag and what it means to millions of Americans..past and present.

It's their flag too. To them, the flag is supposed to symbolize justice, among other things.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

QUICK HITS: KNEE SURGERY FOR ZAY, BENJAMIN FULL GO

Head coach Sean McDermott shared the news that Zay Jones spring activities are over after undergoing knee surgery for an ongoing issue.

 

[Baccus]

amaze-balls.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

amaze-balls.

Same Nate Peterman.

 

[Sansbacon]

Same Nate Peterman.

Well now that they got that out of the way...

 

[GameMisconduct]

amaze-balls.

I don't want him anywhere near that starting QB position, but this isn't really surprising. He's probably got a bit more familiarity with some aspects of the offense, new coordinator and all, even if it's just knowing some guys etc.

 

[Baccus]

It's OTA's, I'm not reading anything into it. It's just funny.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

5-24: Sean McDermott Week One OTA Presser (12:09)

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[26CornerBlitz]

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Game that shows his ceiling: The first half of Wyoming's bowl game win over Central Michigan showcased why Allen was the No. 7 overall pick and reminded us that he has the highest upside of any quarterback in the 2018 class. I'm talking about the natural tools at the position. Just look at the skinny post Allen throws in a tight window down the field (check out the video clip below). Play-pass with a quick climb in the pocket, and then deliver an absolute laser for the score. That's a throw only Allen could make when compared to the rest of these quarterbacks. He also showcased his athleticism on an ad-libbed red zone touchdown pass and followed that with a perfect deep ball throw for another score. Take a shot, and let it go. With a 6-foot-5, 237-pound frame, mobility and tremendous arm strength that absolutely pops on the tape, Allen has an enormous ceiling as a pro -- if he keeps developing.

Game that shows his floor: Allen's two games last season against Power 5 competition -- at Iowa and vs. Oregon -- stand out because of the negative habits that appear on tape. In both of those losses, Allen struggled to find any consistency, and his accuracy suffered. He also needs to work on developing a changeup to put more touch on throws to complement that elite velocity in his arm. This is a raw player who has a tendency to sail the ball and miss with poor placement due to his footwork. That will lead to interceptions in the NFL. As I said above, the natural tools are there. In games against tougher competition, however, Allen created more question as to when or if he will reach his ceiling.

Allen's best trait: Arm talent. There's no question here. That strong arm will allow Allen to challenge NFL defenses in the vertical passing game and attack tighter windows on intermediate throws. Plus, playing in Buffalo, Allen has the juice to cut the ball through the wind, rain, sleet, ice and snow coming off Lake Erie.

Where Allen must improve: Consistent accuracy. Allen has to take major steps in his accuracy to be a successful pro quarterback. It's that simple. He completed just 56.3 percent of his passes in 2017, which was only a slight increase from 56 percent in 2016. There's some work to do for Allen and the Bills here.

Tip for Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll: When Allen's feet are set, he can flat-out rip the ball and put it on target. Too often, though, Allen leans on his arm talent. Daboll and his staff must focus on Allen's footwork for the rookie to progress as a more accurate thrower in a system that can be catered to maximize his ability. Mix in pro and spread concepts that showcase Allen's movement skills, along with his ability to expose the top of secondaries off play-action.

 

[brian_griffin]

QUICK HITS: KNEE SURGERY FOR ZAY, BENJAMIN FULL GO

Can they fix his hands as well while they're at it? 2 for 1 surgery deal?

 

[26CornerBlitz]