00:00Bill's news is the announcement, a three-game suspension for Fadarian Mathis, defensive tackle.
00:07I read that he can continue to practice and play in the preseason, which I'm sure he's thrilled with.
00:14Just cannot be around for the first three weeks of the regular season.
00:18Remember last year at this time, we had Michael Hoyt and Larry Ogunjobi suspended for, was it each six games
00:27a year ago?
00:28And I had forgotten about that until suspensions landed on my lap here today.
00:34I was just looking up, just Googled to find a list of free agents still available in the NFL.
00:42I don't know if the Bills will act on this and, you know, bring in somebody else.
00:46I mean, it's three games, and I don't know if he's important enough for them to go out and try
00:51to replace him.
00:52Maybe.
00:53But I saw the other day, I think the number was 13.
00:56And I think it was the second highest number of Bills from last year that are still free agents, as
01:06in, like, not in camp anywhere.
01:08I think it was 13.
01:09So I just tried to find a search where I got a free and easy list.
01:15I got as far as to get to Warren Sharpe's website, but they don't list these by team.
01:20It's just players by position, and I want to go through and see if I can count 13 2025 Bills.
01:27I bet I can't find them all.
01:28Brandon Cooks, Curtis Samuel.
01:31So it's quarterbacks, I don't see any.
01:32Wide risk, or running backs, I don't see any.
01:34Gabe Davis.
01:36So the Bills have at least, I think it's only three, three players from last year's team that are unsigned.
01:46Cooks, Samuel, and Davis.
01:48As far as I know, they all, like, none of them has retired.
01:50We talk about Cooks now and then.
01:52We never talk about Samuel or Davis.
01:55I guess neither is anybody else at this point.
01:58Tight ends, I don't think so.
02:01Offensive tackles.
02:05Connor McDermott, was he here for a minute?
02:08Maybe he's won, I'm not sure.
02:11Interior offensive lineman.
02:13I mean, the Bills, really, this is not going to be the area, because I know last year they went
02:18to camp with not only their previous season's starters, but all their backups, too.
02:23So I don't think there's going to be much of that here.
02:27Free agent edge rushers.
02:28Von Miller is on this list, but he was in Washington last year, so he wouldn't count.
02:32Leonard Floyd?
02:34Or is that also two years ago?
02:37Jerry Hughes, who was many years ago, is on this list.
02:40I think Bosa's got to be somewhere here.
02:43I don't think he's signed anywhere, so I'm not sure if I'm looking at, like, the latest list, and it's
02:47not easy for me to do it this way.
02:49It's what I've got.
02:5213, I mean, Trey White's going to be one.
02:54Matt Milano's going to be one.
02:56Shaq Thompson, I think, is going to be one.
02:59And maybe there are, like, four or five more.
03:03There's Trey White's name.
03:04There's Milano's name.
03:05What about Rapp?
03:07Taylor Rapp.
03:08Jordan Poyer would count.
03:10He was on the team last year.
03:15No, not Vontae Davis.
03:17Vontae Davis does not count.
03:19Come on.
03:21So, yeah, I mean, what does this mean?
03:24Maybe what does it mean above all else?
03:27I think it really is another testament to what McDermott was able to do last year.
03:35And some of those guys were in and out with different injuries.
03:38He lost Hairston in training camp to a secondary and often had, and this is common for a coach, but
03:45often had to scramble because of injuries and really age on his defense.
03:51And still got them to basically around the midpoint of the league.
03:55They were vulnerable.
03:57I said recently how I feel like I'm often making a point like this.
04:04It often comes from some sort of smack against their run defense.
04:09And I feel like maybe last year's defense was a little better than it gets described as being.
04:19But one time on the air a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking this way and talking this way
04:25and thought, all right, you're going a little bit too far.
04:30If you think back to last year, it's not hard to think of multiple games where they got, like, gashed
04:39against the run.
04:41Not so much, you know, in the passing game, but that's B. John Robinson in the night game in Atlanta.
04:48That's Devin H. Ann in Miami.
04:50That's Travis, or Travis, Derek, I've done that before.
04:53Derek Henry in week one for Baltimore.
04:56It's Sean Tucker.
04:58And sorry for the lilt in my voice, but it's Derek Henry.
05:02It's Sean Tucker for Tampa, who ran all over them in the middle of the season.
05:07And that's not the whole list.
05:09I mean, it's not hard to think back to last year and remember that the Bills had – did they
05:15win all those games?
05:15Well, no.
05:16They didn't win the Atlanta or Dolphin games, but they beat Baltimore somehow, and they beat Tampa.
05:21Just outscored them.
05:23Cincinnati, there was a high-scoring game with the Bengals.
05:26Like, that's one of the prevailing memories, I guess I could say, about last year, is that against the run,
05:37there were some bad days.
05:38Maybe ironic that they lost to Denver in a game where they did not get run on.
05:46And I think, perhaps, I mean, I'm not sure, thinking back so long ago, but it probably was what we
05:54were worried about the most.
05:55I mean, Jacksonville ran on them.
05:58ETN had stuff.
05:59Basial Tootin was killing them.
06:01If Basial Tootin gets the ball more for Jacksonville, I maintain that they win that game.
06:04But he was a backup, and, you know, there's other factors that get in the way of coaching decisions.
06:11It was a good back-and-forth game.
06:13But Denver, I think Denver ran for 70 yards against the Bills and was not successful at that.
06:20So, again, kind of ironic that for a season like they had, they lost in a game where their run
06:28defense really isn't what got them beat.
06:31Scott is with us.
06:32Hi, Scott.
06:34Hey, Mike.
06:35I was just listening, and, you know, those guys still at free agency, that's just a bad reflection for Bean.
06:41And I still don't know how he tricked Pagoula into keeping him and getting rid of McDermott.
06:47If you can't put together a roster, like, that's, I mean, that's more than one side of your whole team
06:54that's completely gone, and no one wants them.
06:58So maybe your GM should take a reflection of that and say, wow, maybe I should try and find better
07:05caliber players, maybe even a first-round receiver.
07:08So when we're in that clutch situation, Josh can complete one instead of breaking our hearts every year.
07:15I've heard this before, and maybe even from yourself, and I really fail to understand it.
07:20So these are players that are not on the team anymore.
07:24Right.
07:25And they...
07:26You thought last year they were good enough, and what has changed?
07:30About six months?
07:32Well, I mean, I would have to say the same about some of these guys.
07:35I don't know about Trey White anymore.
07:37That was kind of more of a desperation move.
07:41It seems like all those guys that you listed were retreads that were desperation moves because of poor planning from
07:49the GM.
07:50All right.
07:50That point works.
07:53All right.
07:53Thanks, Scott.
07:54I mean, I suppose.
07:56I don't think it's true across the board.
07:59Should they have been done with Milano before last year?
08:02Should they have not gone for Joey Bosa?
08:04I mean, you want to say retread?
08:06You wouldn't say retread about guys that were only before ever on.
08:09On your team.
08:10But, okay.
08:11I think that's true at wide receiver.
08:14Samuel, Cooks, Gabe Davis.
08:16Absolutely.
08:17That's right.
08:18Wide receiver is always where we end up.
08:21Spinning our wheels.
08:22And if you wanted to make that point only about that position, you can.
08:26That's right.
08:29Well, you know, like I said, other times I've heard that criticism and sort of got stuck because they're not
08:37here anymore.
08:39And is that bad?
08:41You know, is it bad that Milano and Trey White are not on the team right now?
08:46I don't know.
08:47But you want to say last year they shouldn't have been either?
08:50I guess that's fair enough.
08:53I just think it looks good on McDermott because if these guys were one year away from maybe being out
09:00of the league and they went to the second round again and won 12 games again, I mean, that's pretty
09:08good.
09:09And their defense wasn't great.
09:11And their offense mostly was.
09:13But still, you're patching it together this way.
09:18And the holdovers, this is Rapp too, right?
09:22I mean, Rapp is a younger guy than those other ones, I think, at least by a little bit.
09:26But your holdovers are not really stars either.
09:29Like that's what the Bills are left with.
09:31It's really a transition moment for them on D.
09:35You've got Oliver.
09:36You've got Rousseau.
09:37You've got Bernard.
09:38You've got Benford, you know, among others.
09:40But really, new coordinator, new look, new look.
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