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00:00I have yet to do that successfully.
00:03Anyway, today, Jeremy Kahn on the Ravens and the AFC and then Sal Capaccio at five today.
00:12Sal's latest is about the Bills' secondary, which is, I mean, it's defense,
00:19but one of the more interesting topics, units on the roster, I think.
00:24Like, it's different. It's going to be different with new safeties and just, like, obviously a new coordinator.
00:33I have to figure out what – and you've been sort of pushing at this with the Bills' defense.
00:39I have to figure out what it means to me, whether they're – if they're down or just –
00:46like, there's a transition period ahead. I have to decide what I'm going to do with that.
00:51I haven't yet figured out if I need to do anything with that.
00:54Because, really, last year their defense was, what's fair, just okay?
00:59Yeah, yeah.
01:00Pretty good?
01:01Yeah, I think just okay.
01:03And what did it mean?
01:06It ended kind of the same way it always ends.
01:09It did.
01:10They won their 12 games.
01:12Yep.
01:13Then they won a playoff game.
01:15This is the same as ever.
01:16This is what's happened five, six years in a row.
01:20And then they went to Denver, in this case, and lost and gave up 33 points.
01:26But still, like, the Bills had the ball.
01:28The whole – every conversation we have every year.
01:31And the pile of turnovers that the offense –
01:33I mean, it was the most, I think, the easiest game they've had in the playoffs to say, like,
01:43the defense did not cost them the game, even though they gave up the points.
01:46I mean, the turnovers – there's a field goal and a touchdown that are right off of, you know,
01:51just here, here you go.
01:52Here's the ball at our 20.
01:54Can you get points out of this?
01:56And Denver did both times.
01:58I mean, it was huge.
02:00So, you know, those are going to happen.
02:02But, yeah, I mean, last year their defense being what it was, you know,
02:05as much as I'm sort of, you know, bracing for, well, we don't have our guys,
02:12another draft cycle or whatever, it might be that if their defense is, you know,
02:21middle of the pack or worse even than it was last year,
02:26that tactically maybe that will push them to do something different on offense
02:30and maybe that'll be good for them.
02:32Like, maybe that'll come out in the wash as a net gain.
02:35Well, I know that's true in fantasy.
02:37We want the teams whose defenses are terrible.
02:40We want Cincinnati and Dallas.
02:41Because you have potent explosive offenses that have to perform in order for the team to have a chance.
02:48Right.
02:49That has not been these bills.
02:50No.
02:51They haven't ever had to really race.
02:53Because they've been good enough on defense, if not very good, at times they were that,
02:57where they didn't really have to race.
03:00And, therefore, well, that's interesting, even if you dig deeper here, to think about.
03:06Because you've had two years in a row, even one last year where their defense wasn't great,
03:12but they had the league rushing leader.
03:15And the year before, Cook broke the franchise record in touchdowns, tied or won the league title in that category.
03:23And so you have a situation here where they've been able to relieve some of the pressure,
03:31if you want to put it that way, on Allen.
03:33And maybe this year could be different in that way.
03:37And what if it is?
03:38Are they going to be equipped to race teams if they can't stop anybody?
03:44I mean, that's pretty dramatic.
03:46But will they be able to do that?
03:48Will they be willing to do that?
03:50Will they have to get pushed into that?
03:51Yeah.
03:52We want the bills.
03:53You know, all the wide receiver stuff over the years, and this isn't to speak for everybody,
03:56but we want the bills to lean into their strengths.
04:00And how is Allen not your strength?
04:03So get him weapons.
04:05You know, sort of just push into that.
04:08Yeah.
04:08And then you end up pretty much, generally speaking, playing a certain way where, you know,
04:17you might not want to be – I'm not saying you don't want to be explosive.
04:21And even that word, by the way, is problematic because last year the bills were, I think,
04:24fourth in explosive plays.
04:26It's like 15 or 20-yard plays.
04:28I forgot where the mark is.
04:30It might be 15 yards.
04:31But, yeah, they had one of the highest percentages in the league of drives containing an explosive play.
04:37So I don't know.
04:38We all kind of want – again, here I am, sounding like I'm speaking for everyone.
04:43I'm not.
04:44But want to see the bills be more, what, up-tempo, pass-first, these kinds of things.
04:52It served them pretty well to have pulled back on that.
04:55And their defense has been good enough that they can afford it.
04:59And that's the point, that this year maybe they won't be.
05:02Right.
05:03One thing we've talked about is there are five, maybe, players that were not retained, that went to free agency.
05:14And some of them, not all of them anymore, Epinesa may be signed.
05:18But some of them have not signed anywhere.
05:21And that's an interesting little puzzle.
05:24Most of them have not signed anywhere.
05:25Right.
05:26Bosa, Trey White, Milano.
05:28Right.
05:28How about that?
05:29Like, is Milano so damaged physically that he's not on anybody's radar?
05:35Yeah.
05:35Or is he just, you know what, the price I'm paying physically isn't worth it anymore.
05:41I've banked a bunch of dough.
05:43Life can be pretty good from here on out.
05:45I mean, you get a startup going, or who knows?
05:48Like, he could just be on to another phase of his life, for all we know.
05:51Guys are afforded that ability at a higher rate than ever because of the money that's available earlier in their
05:57careers.
05:57You could just say, you know, a lot of guys have done it.
06:01I mean, it's usually for health reasons, but I think guys are more willing to say, I'm getting out now
06:09because I want, you know, I don't want a fifth or sixth concussion.
06:13I want to, you know, I want to be with my kids when I'm 35 years old.
06:18So I don't know what Milano's situation is.
06:21And I don't need to single him out necessarily from this group.
06:23All those guys have made a ton of money.
06:25But, yeah, there's a lot of – there were a lot of guys that were – have been left by
06:32the side of the road and new faces in new places.
06:36Like, last time – I'm excited to talk to Sal again.
06:39I always am.
06:41The last time we visited with him, we were talking about Igbenisen at corner.
06:46And, you know, he's just a different style player, different body type.
06:50And I know you're not supposed to leap to conclusions about any of that being a judgment on Maxwell Hairston.
06:58But this is sort of what I'm talking about.
07:00I invested a first-round pick last year in a corner.
07:03And it's possible, at least, that they don't view him as fitting, ideally, what Leonard wants to do.
07:11And thus, they draft this kid in the second round out of Ohio State to, you know, try to get
07:17– you know, we need another guy.
07:18Okay, I know the numbers thing, but I don't know.
07:22I mean, I'm sort of bracing for that to be a battle, at least.
07:26And, I don't know.
07:28We'll see.
07:28I mean, Harrison just did not play a lot of football.
07:30I don't know what their view of him would be.
07:32I know what they'll say because he's a former first-round pick who had injuries.
07:37Like, he's got every chance.
07:39But, I don't know, man.
07:40I sort of feel like they drafted IgB to come in over the top of him already.
07:45Yeah, maybe.
07:47What we end up talking about the most when these playoff losses happen is the Bills' inability to get the
07:56quarterback to the ground.
07:57That's been the biggest talking point about their defense and their playoff losses for how many years?
08:04Six?
08:052020.
08:06Yep.
08:06Was when they went into the draft the next year and drafted, right, Rousseau?
08:11After the 2020 championship.
08:12After 2020.
08:12So, the 21 draft.
08:13Right.
08:14So, that is six seasons ago, that game.
08:18That first AFC championship loss to Kansas City.
08:20And, really, regular season, they get by.
08:24But, when it's come down to it, they have failed at that.
08:29And, I always have a tough time with that.
08:31Because, for one thing, it's like one game.
08:35And, for another, I know I said this enough times.
08:39Patrick Mahomes, well, I mean, it's not easy to get him.
08:42Not everybody does it.
08:44Right.
08:44To get him down.
08:45So, that's what the whole, a lot of the premise is when it comes to drafting receivers and offense.
08:51It's like, well, you only have so much control over this.
08:54Yeah, but you see the teams that do beat him are the ones that get there.
08:59You know, I mean, Philly and the Super Bowl may be quintessentially.
09:02Like, they were all over him.
09:04And, that was it.
09:05I mean, it's a high bar.
09:07I mean, again, they were dominant.
09:10And, so, you know, to have a chance, usually against him, at least in the playoffs, it seems like you've
09:16got to get him on the ground.
09:17Well, I mean, the offseason, it's pretty much all set.
09:21I mean, there's still, like these ex-Bills, there's still some signings left to happen.
09:25But, because we have Bradley Chubb now, are the Bills in a position where you can expect that to work
09:31out?
09:32I don't.
09:32No.
09:33I mean, it's probably not that different.
09:36I feel like Bradley Chubb was more of exactly what they've been doing, which is, like, here's a guy that's
09:45pretty good, and we can afford him, and maybe we catch, you know, maybe he has some career.
09:54It feels like they've never been able to find their way to the Max Crosby trade, or the Miles Garrett
10:04trade, or the, you know, Trey Hendrickson trade.
10:07Any of the big pass rushers that are available, or even rumored to be available, they never get there.
10:14And, so, it's, yeah, it's Bradley Chubb, and it's a first-round pick on Parker, who, on paper, reads very
10:23much like Bradley Chubb.
10:24Which, maybe that'll work.
10:26Maybe because they're both here, that'll get somewhere there.
10:30But, I don't know.
10:31I don't feel like the personnel tells me they're going to be better at that.
10:38That's where maybe the scheme comes into play.
10:40Like, am I going to have more free guys?
10:43Am I going to confuse people, maybe, in a way that McDermott's defense was maybe too static and easier to
10:51decipher?
10:52At least from the pass rush standpoint, I think they did a good job in the secondary and with their
10:56linebackers of always kind of confusing and giving different looks and all that kind of stuff.
11:00A lot has been written and said about McDermott's defense's ability to do that.
11:05But they were never great at getting to the passer.
11:08So, maybe Leonard can scheme that into existence.
11:12I mean, I don't know.
11:13It might be a lot to ask.
11:15Do we want him to wait until January to do stuff?
11:20Like last year with Bosa?
11:22You know what?
11:23Not entirely kidding.
11:24Can you just wait to play him until January?
11:27Because you're probably in the playoffs and they always were.
11:31And then, you know.
11:32He didn't break down, I guess.
11:34He didn't break down, but he stopped being effective.
11:38Yeah.
11:38That's almost worse.
11:40Right.
11:41Yeah.
11:41It's like the Ronaldo conversation we were just having.
11:44Like, could I have a better guy there?
11:46Maybe?
11:46I don't know.
11:47It just didn't.
11:48And he was very close to being the goat of the whole thing.
11:52Because there were two penalties on a late play that got Denver to the win.
11:59Or was that the tying?
12:00Whatever it was.
12:01He took a roughing the passer penalty very late that got undone by a Taron Johnson interference call.
12:09And it would have cost the Bills all the same and been a really, really bad way to lose.
12:15Well, if I remember right, Denver went ahead late.
12:18And then the Bills tied it.
12:20Okay.
12:21Before overtime.
12:22I think it was that.
12:23I don't think it was on the last drive.
12:25I think it was on that drive.
12:26There was a Mims touchdown.
12:28Yeah.
12:28Doug Farrar had some clips of Bo Nix throwing passes in that game against the Bills.
12:34It's just annoying that it's not.
12:37This goes both ways.
12:38This cuts both ways.
12:39It's annoying that it isn't Kansas City.
12:42Or even Baltimore.
12:44Or Cincinnati.
12:45Where now there's another team.
12:47This could have been New England.
12:48It wasn't.
12:49It's Denver.
12:50Where you can't say all the same things.
12:53Like we say about losing to Mahomes.
12:56Well, what can you do?
12:57Right.
12:58I mean, they don't want to make those excuses.
13:00But at some point, you're like, well, he's great.
13:04And what I want to do here is difficult against him.
13:07I have to outscore him.
13:08This kind of stuff.
13:09You wouldn't have said that about Denver.
13:11You know?
13:12That you have to beat Denver in a shootout to beat Denver in the playoffs.
13:16But that's what it was.
13:17I mean, 33 to 30.
13:19Right?
13:20So, it's a little bit, it's different that there's another team.
13:24And again, you can have the Patriots too.
13:27The Bills have not lost a postseason game to Baltimore.
13:30But they have to Kansas City.
13:31They have to Cincinnati.
13:32They have now to Denver.
13:34And maybe we have the Chargers or the Jaguars or the Patriots.
13:38You know, that are still, they're certainly contenders.
13:42And maybe someone else too.
13:43The penalties I was referring to were in overtime.
13:48The Taron Johnson-Bosa play, they led to the winning field.
13:53Do I need to re-watch that game?
13:54Is that what you're telling me?
13:55Do I need to re-watch Bill's Broncos?
13:57I don't recommend that as your friend or as your co-worker.
14:02It was always uphill.
14:04That's how I think of that game.
14:06You were always climbing uphill.
14:09End of the first half, mistakes and points.
14:13And early in the third quarter, it was the same thing.
14:15There was an early turnover in the third quarter.
14:17But they do take the lead.
14:18Yes, they do.
14:19Kincaid.
14:21There's a Coleman.
14:22Meikle Hartman is in the end zone in this game for the Bills, by the way.
14:25I think early.
14:27But, yeah, man, that game.
14:29It happened so fast.
14:31Yeah, Colt.
14:32They lose, and then McDermott, and that's what we're doing.
14:35Hartman scored their first touchdown of the game.
14:37They lose.
14:39There was a coaching change, like on what?
14:41On Monday?
14:42Yeah.
14:43And that's what we're doing.
14:44And maybe that's fine that we're not, that we never did.
14:47Dwelling on the game.
14:48What actually happened that day?
14:49Right.
14:50I don't think I spent much time talking about, like, details from the Denver game.
14:57Is Bo Nix good?
14:58I hate to give you such a brain buster so early in the day.
15:01But is he good?
15:03Bo Nix?
15:04I was in a draft, Bulldog.
15:06Did you know that?
15:07Of course I knew that.
15:08I just assume it all the time.
15:10Yeah, that's probably, I deserve that.
15:12For better or worse.
15:14I was in a draft, and he was not picked.
15:18Bo Nix was not picked.
15:20At all.
15:22This is a...
15:23It's a certain kind of commentary.
15:25Kind of.
15:26And he runs.
15:26Yeah.
15:27This is a draft, a league where you make changes, too.
15:30This is not a best ball where you can't...
15:32Right.
15:32He always would get picked in a best ball draft, because you can't do anything about your roster.
15:36Yeah.
15:36I don't know if he's good, he's effective, that's not the same, but it worked well enough.
15:44I mean, they were maybe him getting hurt from going to the Super Bowl.
15:48Yeah, probably.
15:49Right?
15:49I mean, it was a close game in the snow at home against New England with Jarrett Stidham playing.
15:54Yeah.
15:54I would assume yes.
15:56Yeah.
15:56Right?
15:57Yeah.
15:57I mean, Stidham made one terrible play that cost them, eventually, a touchdown, and what
16:03was the game?
16:0310-7?
16:05So.
16:06Ah!
16:07Mm-hmm.
16:10Playoff memories.
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