BILLS owners meetings UPDATE: McDermott EMOTIONAL about TRE WHITE & thoughts on WR 'VERSATILITY'

Summary

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Buffalo Plus Podcast: BILLS Owners Meetings UPDATE – McDermott EMOTIONAL about TRE WHITE & Thoughts on WR "VERSATILITY"

Date: March 26, 2024
Hosts: Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes (Mike Catalana off)

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Episode Overview

The Buffalo Plus team breaks down the latest from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, focusing on the Buffalo Bills’ offseason moves and front-office insights. Key topics include the emotional departure of Tre'Davious White, the status of veteran safety Micah Hyde, analysis of new signings (notably Curtis Samuel), the team’s evolving strategy at wide receiver, and philosophical debates about versatility versus elite traits in WR prospects. The episode also touches on the organizational emphasis on youth, shifting personnel, and how the Bills are approaching the upcoming NFL draft.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emotional Departure of Tre'Davious White

• Sean McDermott’s Reaction:
  • McDermott described the decision to release Tre White as “emotional,” “tragic,” and “surreal,” highlighting the personal and organizational impact (04:06–06:00).

    "To me, it's tragic in some ways because of the injuries, and had not the injuries occurred, who knows where his time in Buffalo would have taken him and us... it's just, to me, a very unfortunate situation with the injuries... it's sad to see him go. It really is."
    — Sean McDermott [04:06]

• Personal Connection:
  • White was McDermott’s first draft pick, and his injuries (ACL, then Achilles) cut short what both men envisioned as a much longer run with the Bills.
  • The hosts emphasize White’s off-field contributions, leadership, and the devastating nature of his back-to-back injuries (06:00–07:19).

2. The Human Side of Roster Moves

• Tough Conversations:
  • Both hosts point out the humanity and complexity behind high-profile roster cuts and restructuring.
  • Jenna calls attention to the “human side of this business,” especially visible when a fan-favorite like White departs (07:01–07:37).
• Brandon Beane’s Perspective:
  • Beane spoke about ongoing communication with White before and after the combine regarding cap constraints and potential pay cuts (08:18–09:31).

3. Micah Hyde’s Undecided Future

• Possibility of Return:
  • Contrary to assumptions, Beane has not closed the door on a Micah Hyde return, depending largely on Hyde’s interest (11:27–12:33).

    “If Micah Hyde is coming back, he’s playing for the Bills and if he’s not, he’s not playing.” — Dan [12:14]

• Hosts’ Odds:
  • Jenna assigns a 20% chance to a Hyde return, Dan only 5%, agreeing a comeback is unlikely but possible if circumstances change (14:31–14:41).

4. Curtis Samuel Signing & WR Philosophy

• Samuel’s Role:
  • Both hosts see the addition of Samuel as a valuable but incomplete solution, emphasizing that further WR reinforcements are needed, especially through the draft (15:18–16:43).
• Wide Receiver Draft Debate:
  • Dan passionately critiques the fixation on "versatility" as the primary selling point for WRs, arguing for an elite, “game-changing” trait over all-around competency (17:09–21:33):

    “I have a problem with versatility being your best trait. I want your best trait to be that you’re a dominant player at something.” — Dan [17:08]
    “I just want some of my top end guys... what the Bills offense is missing is some of those big play explosive dudes.” — Dan [21:33]

• Draft Expectations:
  • The consensus is the Bills should still target a top WR in round one, even though depth can be found in later rounds. Versatility should complement, not replace, elite talent at the top of the depth chart (23:01–24:29).

5. Other Roster Developments

• Emphasis on Youth:
  • The Bills are intentionally getting younger, with age being a common factor in recent departures (30:39–30:55).
• Connor McGovern at Center:
  • Beane claims moving McGovern to center was always a possibility, though Jenna and Dan express skepticism about it being a spontaneous decision (29:05–30:12).
• Play-Calling Mystery:
  • The team still has not announced who will call defensive plays; hosts assume the decision is made internally but kept secret for competitive reasons (28:16–28:54).

6. Locker Room and Front Office Culture

• Player-Coach Relationships:
  • Despite some fan criticism, player comments suggest Sean McDermott remains highly respected in the locker room for his genuine care—a point enhanced by the emotion over Tre White’s release (31:39–31:53).
• Culture Attractiveness:
  • New players like Mike Edwards cite Buffalo's culture as a primary draw, reinforcing Beane and McDermott’s vision for the team environment (31:53–32:18).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• McDermott on Tre White:

  “I think he’s one of the best defensive backs to ever play in Buffalo. I really believe that. He’s all class, all the time...” [04:27]

• Jenna on the Business Side:

  “The NFL slows down for no one.” [10:12]

• Dan on WR Draft Philosophy:

  “I want my top guys to be studs and I want them to have a dominant trait at some position.” [17:45]

• Dan on Versatility:

  “I want to have a punch... I want a knockout punch. You have to do something great. Offenses, you can do a lot of things good—what do you do great?” [25:12]

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Important Timestamps

• Tre White’s Departure & McDermott’s Emotional Words: 04:06–06:00
• Brandon Beane on Hyde & White Future: 08:18–09:31; 11:27–12:33
• Wide Receiver, Versatility, and Draft Philosophy: 15:18–25:12
• Curtis Samuel Role Discussion: 15:18–16:43
• Play-calling Uncertainty: 28:16–28:54
• Connor McGovern at Center: 29:05–30:12
• Age as Roster Priority: 30:39–30:55
• McDermott Locker Room Reputation/Culture: 31:39–32:18

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Tone & Style

The conversation is candid, analytical, and passionate—mixing behind-the-scenes insight with fan-like emotional investment and locker-room anecdotes, all delivered with a friendly Buffalo flavor.

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Final Thoughts

The Buffalo Plus team provides a nuanced look at how the Bills are balancing emotional departures, constant roster evolution, and the strategic need for high-impact talent with the realities of NFL business. As the draft approaches, the episode underscores the urgency for Buffalo to bolster its offense with game-changing playmakers, while also celebrating the culture and human connections built over recent years.

For More Coverage:
Find Buffalo Plus on YouTube or visit BuffaloPlus.com.

Transcript

[A]

I mean, emotional, right? Because it's kind of like you can't believe it's what we're discussing. To me, it's tragic in some ways because of the injuries. You know, it's just. It's a surreal moment.

[B]

This is the Buffalo plus podcast, brought to you by Connors and Ferris.

[C]

All right, welcome back to the Buffalo plus podcast, presented by Connors and Ferris. Mike Catalano. With a veteran day off, a grandpop day off, Dan Fates joining me. I am Jenna Cotrell.

[B]

You're back.

[C]

I'm back, yes.

[B]

Mike's gone. Sorry, everybody.

[C]

Hashtag vacation season.

[B]

I'm sorry that you're stuck with me out of all these podcasts. Don't worry. I'm going on vacation next week.

[C]

I was to say, sure, people will have a comment about it, but yeah.

[B]

We'Re all getting our reps in.

[C]

Yeah, exactly. Might as well take advantage of the off season mode. And with it being the off season, please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe, as well as share the channel. Of course. We have so much content that we're talking about another week, another podcast from Buffalo plus this time, we're talking about what we've heard at the NFL owners meetings that are going on down in Orlando. So Brandon Bean there, Sha McDermott there as well. And I think this is really an opportunity for the Bills during this part of the off season to get to hear from these Bills brass. You know, obviously there was the combine a little bit earlier on this offseason, but now we're kind of in that mode. The draft is an. A month away. Yeah, one month away.

[B]

Well, it was weird, too, because these owners meetings, we've never been to them.

[C]

No, we have not.

[B]

I think we're going to make a pitch.

[C]

I was.

[B]

Next year.

[C]

Orlando in March or wherever it'll be next year.

[B]

Yeah, it looks like terrible. Our friend Matt Bovet there, is there. Yeah, he's really slumming it.

[C]

I was about to say. Yeah, I feel so bad for both.

[B]

But it's funny because we. We felt like we were just hearing from being a McDermott at the combine, but that's right before free agency. And so now you're hearing about. Now you're hearing from them post free agency, which. Which is a massively different perspective. We've pretty much seen press releases, clips, agent talk. We haven't really heard from the coach and the GM about the decisions they made. And I thought that what we heard this week or what we heard these over these last two days was very telling.

[C]

I thought it was Very interesting, too, because when we heard from Brandon bean and Sean McDermott at the combine, they talked about, you know, very general things about free agency, whatever. Now, hearing from them this week, they talked about how in this free agency period, defensive tackle was something that they were really trying to bolster. Obviously, you're not going to give that away when you're heading into free agency, but I think it's, from their perspective, it's like, oh, wow. So this, to me says, you know, this is a priority. Priority for Buffalo. This past weekend, they said they sent Austin Johnson to bring in more of, you know, another guy that obviously has a connection to Daquan Jones. But that, to me, I was like, oh, okay. But there was other things said.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And Sean McDermott, we saw emotion.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Out of McDermott, especially when he was asked about Trey White and the decision by Buffalo to cut him.

[B]

Yeah. I think we'll get to the signings and some of the moves they made because we heard from them. We heard them talk about the Curtis Samuel signing. Now, that was the first time we heard about that. But you're right, they also had to address the. The. The moves that they made and what they. They described it as. Sean McDermott described it as losing the pillars of their organization at times, with Poyer gone, with Mitch Morris, with Trey White and all those things. And look, Mitch Morris was a big part of their success in winning the division titles they have over the last few years. Poyer was part of the person that built up this process and turned them for a laughing stock and the. And the playoff drought to where they are now. But Trey white was Sean McDermott's first ever draft pick, and it really was his first pick. People confused that with it saying it was Brandon Beans. Brandon Bean wasn't a part of that team yet. And while they were all tough decisions, Sean McDermott was asked on Monday how difficult that conversation was with Trey White, and here's what he had to say.

[A]

Oh, man. Yeah, just. I mean, emotional. Right. Because it's kind of like you can't believe it's what's. What we're. What we're discussing. And, you know, you know, eventually it's going to come just because of the lifespan of an NFL player, but it came way too early in my mind. Right. And I'm sure in his mind as well. To me, it's tragic in some ways because of the injuries, and had not the injuries occurred, who knows where his time in Buffalo would have taken him. And us. I think he's one of the Best defensive backs to ever play in Buffalo. I really believe that he's all class, all the time and he works his way, tail off and he's one of the best human beings I know from what, what he came from and how he's not only lifted himself up, but lifted his family up and the way he's lifted our team up over the years. It's just to me a very unfortunate situation with the injuries and anyway, it's. Yeah. Sorry. Just, you know, it's sad to see him go. It really is. Him and his family. I mean, he got injured in the Miami game. A number of us went over to his house after the game. And what do you say? Right? I mean having, especially after he just went through it the year before, what do you say? And there's nothing you can say other than just try and be there for him. And that, that's how I felt when we were having our conversation was, you know, it's just, it's a surreal moment.

[B]

Yeah. Tragic and surreal.

[C]

You don't hear those words often.

[B]

No. And listen, Shawn McDermott gets plenty of stuff.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

From the fan base and rightfully so. The dude cares. And, and, and when you hear that again, we've talked about on this channel, we've talked to the players in locker room. It's like their relationship with fans. Dion always has kind of joked and poked fun at, at Bill's mafia. And I get it. I'm a die hard Braves fan. Like the season's about to start and I'm going to be on edge and when somebody strikes out in a big spot, I'm going to be like, oh, I hate that player. Like what's the thing? There are people and, and, and you get to see that side every once in a while on the, the, the tough side of the business. But that answer from Sean McDermott to me was just very telling. And it was the last answer he, it was the last question he took. You could see him trying to almost get through it, which I thought was very, was very telling to me.

[C]

I just. That is someone that has meant so much off of the field.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

To Sean McDermott, to Buffalo. And to have two out of the last three seasons him have a season ending injury and to know how hard that guy worked to get back and then tearing the Achilles. I think for Sean McDermott we do we forget that this is a business or we forget that there's the human side of this business. I should say.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think for Sean McDermott, what I glean from him talking about it, though, is, you know, Trey White has obviously had other visits. He's visited with the Raiders. You know, I don't know if his. His career in Buffalo will be this upcoming season, if it's going to continue, if the Bills are going to bring him back in any capacity, if Trey White would take a pay cut, whatever.

[B]

But.

[C]

But I feel like I could see Trey White maybe after this season. And maybe this is just me playing into the emotions of it, but I think for the Bills, what Trey White meant and hearing Sha McDermit's answer, it really puts into perspective how. How much they love him and they respect him as the guy.

[B]

And also, it was one of the things, too, when Brandon, when. When Bean spoke on Sunday, they had the conversations. Like, I think people think maybe it's just the decision of. A decision's made. We cut the player. Like it. There's more that goes into it and being talked about. You know, Trey wanted clarity on what his future is and what his next.

[C]

Steps were going to be, which is totally fair.

[B]

Right. And again, you're going into an off season, you're hearing everything that everybody else is talking about. And he was, you know, while he's recovering, he said before the combine, they were talking. He's like, what? Where are we at? He's like, I don't know where the cap's going to be. All of these things, those decisions come up to where, hey, being set on two players, he hasn't closed the door yet. One was on Trey White and one was on Micah Hyde. We'll get to Mike in a second while we. While we finish on Trey. But I think it's awfully tough where you have those conversations like, hey, we need a pay cut, or, hey, we. We want to get some money back. We want some relief. Some of these things. Yeah, it's tough when you don't agree on that to then want to come back.

[C]

I. Yes.

[B]

You know what I'm saying?

[C]

I hear you completely. I also think Trey White wants to be a starter, and.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[C]

And he's earned that, you know, in his career. And at the same moment, they have Rasul Douglas and they have Christian Bedford. And at that moment, it's like, you know, for a guy to come back from an injury like that, it takes reps, it takes the experience, it takes getting back out there. And I just don't think that would really have the opportunity to come to fruition. And this season, with the Bills now, if Trey is like, hey, I. I'm okay making less money, I Want to be. I can't see that being the case though.

[B]

And that.

[C]

And I don't blame him. I would feel the same way.

[B]

And it goes back to the Rasul Douglas trade, that, that you knew that that was part of it.

[C]

Think about this. I was thinking about this on the way into work. Like, if you were to tell me Trey White would not be on the Bills this upcoming season two years ago, I'd be like, wow. If you were to say, hey, just to let you know, three years ago.

[B]

Three years ago, it's the acl.

[C]

Okay. But I'm saying, like, the starting corners for the Bills would be Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford. You'd be like, wait, what happened to Kyrie? What happened to Trey White? Like, you know, it's, it is a reminder of the business side and how things are constantly evolving, always changing. And yeah, I mean, this, The NFL slows down for no one.

[B]

And I thought that that's what stood out to me with Sean's answer by saying it tragic like that. What if he stayed healthy? It was one of those moments where he's like, hey, what could have been if Trey just doesn't blow his Achilles, like, let's just say, like, hey, he, he's, he's playing better after the ACL or after the acl. He was starting to come out at the end of last season, then he started playing really well in the beginning of the year. And it's like, okay, like he's getting there, like we're recovering. And then to have that. And again, 29, 30 year old cornerback, that just isn't. The track record, isn't great on that type of recovery. So you have to make those decisions.

[C]

And again, it's, it's made even more sad by the fact that Trey really didn't battle injuries in his career.

[B]

Never.

[C]

It's really within the last three years that he's had these issues crop up and they've been considerable injuries.

[B]

Again, I don't see Trey coming back because I think that the Bills have made their decisions on where they are moving forward in the secondary. And I think one of those decisions is, hey, these are our corners. Trey, we'd love to have you battle for the CB3 with Kair. Like, it just, I just don't see that happening. I think Trey White is too good of a corner to have to battle in camp for something like that. So what I love is what? I love it if he came back. Absolutely.

[C]

I'm curious what his market will be. Former first round pick and then Former All Pro. Yeah. And then the injuries, what that market will be, we will have to wait and find out. But we are recording this on Monday. Watch him sign somewhere like tonight at 4 o'. Clock, at 4:03pm well, let's talk about Micah Hyde because I think we were all under the assumption essentially that since we have not heard about Micah Hyde, that, hey, he's retiring. You know, the Bills are moving on. Micah Hyde starting the second chapter of his life as, as an NFL retiree, all these things. And then Brandon Bean talked about how they're not going to shut the door on Micah Hyde. Now that would have to be that Micah Hyde wants to come back to Buffalo, all these things. But I think you see the same way. If Micah Hyde is coming back, he's playing for the Bills and if he's not, he's not playing.

[B]

He ain't come back.

[C]

I mean, that's fair. I honestly, when he said that, I was like, oh, I thought, I thought the decision essentially had already been said or had already been done and not said.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I don't know if that's way Brandon Bean's way of essentially protecting the decision made by Micah Hyde. So Micah Hyde could be the one to say it.

[B]

I think that's part of it. I think it's a little bit of politicking to be like, no, we'd have him back. Absolutely, we'd have him back. But like, I don't think there's really a situation where he comes back.

[C]

I think the longer it goes on, the more it's.

[B]

And listen, like, you know, hey, breaking news. I've never been a pro athlete that has like had to have that decision to step away from the game. But I know there will like J.J. watts talked about it that like there is sometimes, like your body's so beaten up after a season and then training camp, you're not really missing training camp because you're like, I don't want to do that grind anymore. But then like weeks three and four.

[C]

You'Re like, oh man.

[B]

Like I, I kind of miss it. I kind of missed the locker room. I missed those vibes. Like it was. Fournette was that way. Yeah, I was happy at home. I was doing drop offs with the kids and then all of a sudden it's like, Bill's calling. What's up? Hey, how's it going? Who's to say?

[C]

I mean, that's so fair though.

[B]

Mike is in incredible shape. Who's to say there's an injury to the secondary, whether it's Taylor Rap or somebody. That happens. And I hope that doesn't happen. But who's to say that you're not giving Micah a call to say, hey.

[C]

Who'S to say, though, that they wouldn't just kind of do a snap count situation with Micah? Now, if you're Taylor Rapp, you're probably like, oh, okay.

[B]

But neither of the signings to me were so impactful that you were like, this guy's a slam dunk starter. He's a Pro Bowler at this level. Like, Sean even talked about it. The fact of Mike Edwards, he's like, he's been a backup. He's like, we think there's more in there. And I think that's a Testament to Sean McDermott and his coaching staff to think a little bit of that ego.

[C]

That's like, what you need.

[B]

I'll get this guy to be all.

[C]

Like, yeah, okay, Andy, wait.

[B]

Yeah, wait till he gets under. My coaching spags is good and all, but, like, he didn't really unlock all of your potential. I got this guy. So again, I thought when my ears perked up instantly, when he was like, hey, we haven't closed the door. No. And I was like, what? And then I thought about it. I was like, hey, come back.

[C]

I would. I would. At this point, I would be shocked if he came back.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

But what.

[B]

What would your percentage be of the odds of Micah Hyde coming back?

[C]

20.

[B]

Oh, that's high.

[C]

You think that's high?

[B]

Yeah, I think. I was going to say, like, five.

[C]

Oh, no.

[B]

All right.

[C]

I think 20. I think 20 is still a low number.

[B]

All right.

[C]

That's like when you go and something's on sale and it's like, oh, it's 20 off. And then you go to the cash register and you're like, that wasn't. That was nothing. Like, you're like, that did nothing for me. Thanks. Yeah.

[B]

It's my wife, when she goes to Target and always needs the red card because you save 5%. I was like. I was like, but you saved 86 cents. Like, just let me pay for it. She's like, no, but I have the red card. And it's like, yeah, we're good.

[C]

But you know what? It gets you through the door. So there's that. No, I. I hear you. Let's talk a little bit about Curtis Samuel.

[B]

Yeah. So Curtis Samuel, to me, is also encompasses a bigger picture of where this bill. Why you're Steve room is. And it's something that I guess is a little frustrating to me, Jenna, because Curtis Samuel, As I said before, I like Curtis Samuel. I'm happy he's on the Bills.

[C]

He.

[B]

He adds another weapon to. Like I said, I thought Bean was. Was very interesting when he talks about recruiting him out of Ohio State and researching. Before the draft, he spent half of his time in the running back room. He spent half his time.

[C]

Very interesting. Yeah.

[B]

And he's like, you have to be real. You have to be smart to be able to do that, all those things. So. So I don't really see Samuel as a running back. I don't really see him as a, you know, a full wide receiver like he. He is. Got that gimmick gadget to him. But again, I don't think he necessarily changes this Bill's offense and unlocks it into a new way that we haven't seen before.

[C]

I think you see the upside. He had his best season with Joe Brady. I think Brandon Bean obviously has that connection to him. I think you see what he can add, and I also think you see that's one thing you can add, but you need to add more. And so when they signed Curtis Samuel, I kind of was like, oh, that's great.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And who else. Who else are you going to get in the draft? What else are you going to do? How are you going to add another weapon or two.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

For Josh Allen. So I thought it was a nice complimentary signing. I thought that you could still obviously do more, and I expect them to.

[B]

So the thing that's kind of upsetting and I know.

[C]

Upsetting.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That's a strong word.

[B]

Irks me.

[C]

Okay, that's better.

[B]

You want to go with irk. This thought of, like, there's so many.

[C]

Widening is so strong that there's.

[B]

That there's so many wide receivers in this draft class. Like, I'm just very adamant of a wide receiver in the first round. And I know there are a lot of people.

[C]

Oh, what if they trade back? Get it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

In round one. Yeah.

[B]

And I'm okay if they. If they don't have their guy. But my thought of, like, oh, well, you can get a wide receiver in any round. And then when this is the time of the year where everybody nitpicks what players don't do and they say, you can't draft this guy in this round because he doesn't do this. And then they compliment everybody that's versatile. And I have a problem with versatility being your best trait. I want your best trait to be that you're a dominant player at something.

[C]

The Bills love versatility.

[B]

And that's fine for your wide receivers three through five. I don't want versatility is a compliment for guys that are role players. I want my top guys to be studs and I want them to be have a dominant trait at some position. And my example is, is when people talk about like here's a baseball example. One of the best pitchers in baseball is the brace pitcher Spencer strider. He throws 101 miles per hour. He has a fastball and he throws a slider. He has two pitches. Nobody's sitting there going, his change up really isn't that good. It doesn't matter. He struck out the most people in baseball last year because of his fastball. Nobody cares about what he can't do. So when I look at some of these wide receivers and people go, well, he doesn't do this well. I don't want my first round wide receiver. He doesn't need to be a great blocker to me. I don't care what he doesn't do well. I want what he does do well to be game changing. Well, that's. So when you see versatility, I feel like it's a knock that like, hey, he does everything with a grade of B's across the board. That's great. I want a guy that has three A's and if his run blocking isn't great, but he'll give effort, I'm okay with it. If it's a C, I want a guy that has high end, top end talent.

[C]

Do you believe though that the Bills don't see that way?

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

I'm not in the building. Sorry, call back.

[B]

That is, that's. I guess that's where I'm looking at it and I go, I know that you can get a wide receiver in rounds two through seven. There's no question about that. But I think there is a, a drop off on game changing wide receivers after like five guys. After that there's a bunch of guys that are good, they're good. I don't think they're.

[C]

You want great.

[B]

I want game changers. I, I want guys that and again, I know, hey, here's another one too. I know you can find them in any round, but the more likelihood you have in my opinion is to find them at the top. Like the best players, the best players. Brian Thomas Jr. I know people are like up and down on him. He doesn't do some things well at all. The things that he does well are run fast, be tall and jump like I. When you get to the NFL, you are going to play to your players strengths. You don't talk about their weaknesses. You do what they do best. Like, oh, well, Josh isn't great on his second read. It doesn't matter. He's a mutant in every other category of the game. So you make up for that. That's what I'm looking for some of these guys, because I feel like the Bill's wide receivers are all kind of similar. They all have some versatility, they all have some, some shake. They all have a little bit of, you know, those things like that. When I look at some wide receivers, I was talking to a friend today and I was like, nobody cares that DK Metcalf doesn't line up in this lot.

[C]

I was gonna say, I was thinking of him as. When you talked about a guy that has like the physical traits or like one trait that's really. He can run fast in a straight line, like he's that guy.

[B]

And that instills fear in defenders.

[C]

I agree.

[B]

And guess what? He doesn't need to run a curl or an out. He runs a slant and a go. And those are elite level skills. And when the play, when it's push comes to shove and it's funny, you talk about like when the Bill signed Von Miller, they needed a closer, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And a closer can make the pitch. Baseball make the pitch when it matters most.

[C]

Clutch.

[B]

You only need a pitch or two. You don't need five. Closers don't have five pitches. Yes. Von Miller has a bunch of different moves and he. All these things. Now there are elite, elite, elite level players. Stefan Diggs can do it all. Jamar Chase can do it all. Justin Jefferson, like, those guys are called hall of Famers. But I just want some of my top end guys that I think what the Bills offense is missing is some of those big play explosive dudes. And that's where I'm. That's what I'd like to see out of the wide receiver.

[C]

Do you want to see them emphasize speed or what do you want?

[B]

I think they have speed. I'd like a downfield threat. I'd like a. I'd like.

[C]

They have a lot of like underneath.

[B]

Like, and that's fine. And like, I get it. And that defenses are taking all these things away. I understand both ways, both sides of the coin here. But I just look at it and I go, man, I'd like a guy that would just be a game changer and say, man, when a corner lines up next to him, damn, I'm in. I'M in trouble if he goes. When Tyreek Hill lines up and they say, hey, oh shit, I'm in trouble if he goes.

[C]

I just think that's a bit of a smoke screen of them being like, we love versatility. All this stuff, that to me is what that says because, yeah, again, versatility is great, but that means that you don't have something that you jump off the page, excel at and that is what you want. So I, I totally hear what you're saying. I just, sometimes when I hear that, I'm like, all right, it's, it's March, the draft is a month away. I see them saying all of these things to essentially keep it. So you don't know are they going to go wide receiver in the first round? Would they possibly try to get a safety? Would they, what, what direction would they go in? But when I hear that, I say, look, versatility is, is nice. There is an advantage to having guys that can be versatile. But when you need a guy to change the game, like you are talking about, right, you want to have the DK Metcalf, you want to have someone that is faster than everyone, that is, can leap more than anyone, that is able to route, run better than anyone.

[B]

And again, Tyree Kill was a fifth or sixth round pick. Puka Nuku is one of those guys. Like, I know you can find them in other places.

[C]

Yeah, but that's not the standard. Like, they, those are great gems. It's like when people say, like diamond, you can.

[B]

Any quarterback in the sixth round can be a Hall of Famer. It's like, it's.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

More often than not. Well, like, yeah, you did it once.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So I guess that that's where I come from and, and what I always think about. You know, there's utility players in baseball because they're versatile, they can play every position, but they don't do any position well enough to be a starter. So you're a utility player. You're a sixth man in basketball. Would you want to. Oh, he's a great six man. Why isn't he in the starting lineup? Like, those are the kind of things where I get. I listen, I like Javon Baker if he's in the second round from ucf. I like Troy Franklin. I like a lot of these guys. I'm just saying this thought of like letting so many guys pass up because you can be like, well, you don't need to take a wide receiver in the first round. I just. No, no, you don't need to. I just would like to have a guy, a dude, not just a guy.

[C]

I, I personally don't put much stock in what. And what we're hearing about the versatility. I just feel like you would be silly not to. And again, later on in later rounds, if you want to get a guy that has more versatility. Absolutely. Like you talked about, you were, you know, you're three, you're four. Like, your guys that are deeper on the depth chart, of course, for them to maintain a spot in the roster, they have to do a lot of things.

[B]

Well, I want to hear about versatility again. Like, I think about, like, Sauce Gardner. He doesn't need versatility because he's.

[C]

He's standing.

[B]

He's elite at covering, like, the right side of the field. I can't remember what side he plays on, but he plays on one side of the field. He doesn't need to cover both sides because he's so damn good at the one side. He doesn't need to worry about anything else. So that's. I guess that's just one of my things. When I hear, like, I love that Curtis Samuel has versatility. I don't want the Bills draft pick in the first round, that his biggest trade is versatility. I want him to be like, this dude is a problem.

[C]

But I think that's where you see what role they have in mind for him when they talk about having him having versatility.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

Maybe in the, like, return game, all that stuff too. They. They will value that.

[B]

And this goes back to like, the whole point of this Bill's offense is that you want a versatile offense. You want a balanced attack, right? No. Well, you want a balanced attack, right? Sean McDermos, you want to be able to be. Was two ways, two dimensional, right. You want to be able to run, throw the ball. That's great. I would like to have, as I've said on this channel for years, I want to have a punch. I want to have what you do best. There are boxers out there that do a lot of things great and they can block and they have a good jab. I'd still take the guy that has Mike Tyson's right hand. That's what I want. I want to knock out punch. So that's where I go. You. You have to do something great offenses, you can do a lot of things good. What do you do great? That's what I want the Bills to focus on. Because being great can't just be Josh Allen. It can't. He's got to have a little bit more help to have Other great players around him.

[C]

Agreed.

[B]

That's my point.

[C]

No, but that's why when Brandon Bean talked about having the emphasis on defensive tackle and adding guys like that, that to me says, okay, they're loading up in free agency and they're trying to do their part now so that they can do what they want to do next month. Do what you have to do now to address the roster and do what you want to do in the draft. And they want a weapon and I.

[B]

Think they've done a really good job, especially at defensive tackle, filling in some of those. Brandon said he didn't feel like they have any quote, gaping holes or massive needs heading into the draft. I think that's again, that's.

[C]

Again, that's what you need to do. You're in a good spot.

[B]

That's a lot of one year deals. I worry about defensive tackle long term in another time. But like right now you have the flexibility. And again, if the Bills don't go wide receiver in the first round, I'm not going to, I'm not going to riot, but I'm just sitting there like you're still missing a explosive player that I don't care about.

[C]

I think fans would riot.

[B]

I don't care about. Well, there's, I think there are some fans that, that want. They'd love another edge rusher or they'd like a safety or things like that. But, but it just goes to this like Gabe was pretty versatile. What he didn't do well was catch the football.

[C]

Gabe was also a later round pick.

[B]

We're not talking about but again I like my third and fourth round picks to be versatile. I like my specialty because you to.

[C]

Be versatile because you need to be. To be on the roster. Yes, with your first round pick, you should be on the roster for your talent in xyz. Yeah, I hear you. I, I'm not going to get worked up because I feel like they are going wide receiver in round one and if they don't, then at that I will readdress how I feel. But I'm not gonna get pre worked up about something when I do believe that they're going with wide receiver. And I think they're downplaying what they're doing right now and saying, hey, we need a versatile guy. You know all this stuff because they have a couple players in mind and we've seen Brandon being on draft night too. He loves to move up a couple spots. He loves to do that. He loves, he gets antsy like all the Bills fans do. So I I expect it to be wide receiver in round one. And if it's not that come back to me. I'm sure we'll have some words about it.

[B]

Yeah, we also just some other notes that I wrote down. We still don't know who's going to call plays on defense. Sean McDermott says, Still, I don't care.

[C]

My. But my. They know like if you're Bobby Babbage, you're not taking a job. If you don't know if you're going to be calling plays, they know. They just have decided to make it incredibly cryptic. You men. Okay, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. You know what I'm saying, though?

[B]

Yeah, but there's no point in them saying it.

[C]

I. I get it, but I just. Okay, well, when people like. Oh, you don't. What do you think it is? It's like they know obviously, but they're just not going to tell it.

[B]

Other thing I thought was being talked about putting Connor McGovern at center when they moved away from Mitch Morris. Yeah, it was. He said, we always thought that Connor could play center.

[C]

Yeah. Which he has.

[B]

If and when needed to. He goes, he has the skills and the traits to play center. He goes, quote, didn't know how early that would be. I'll call BS on that. I think when you sign Conor McGovern to that deal and you don't think being doesn't go season by season. Of course he doesn't. He has said that he doesn't.

[C]

That is why it's also so important to draft a wide receiver with Stefan Diggs getting older and his contract aging.

[B]

As we always. As we've talked about talk is cheap. Where you spend your money in the salary cap is. Is what it says. We went back to last year, draft capital. We all thought Spencer Brown was on his way out. He wasn't.

[C]

And they. But they love him.

[B]

Correct. And it paid off, though. But like again, they said all these nice things. They've said all these nice things about Gabe. They finally moved on from. They said all these nice things about Devin Singletary. They eventually moved on from them. So I thought that was. Yeah, so what. When he said that, you know, Conor, we didn't know when it would be. You saw contracts lining up and going, yeah, this is. We can see if this goes one way when we get to the fork in the road. If it's Mitch's one way and we can move Connor and cut Mitch.

[C]

I hear you. Because they have to have a plan. I also don't know if when the decision was made of. I think. I hear you. You have to be aware of that coming in. But I don't know if maybe they thought, hey, maybe we can work out other things and we'll have Mitch another season. He's not a guy that I was like, oh, they're definitely gonna move on from him. And. And that's why I think maybe it is a timeline that's kind of moved up a little bit. But again, you have to be prepared for anything.

[B]

But I think it's also when we saw, like, the one common thread through these moves that they made were. Was age. They. They made a constant effort to be young. Conscious conscious.

[C]

Sorry, Just conscious conscious to get younger.

[B]

Yes. So, yeah, well, they had one of.

[C]

The oldest rosters in the league.

[B]

Yes. So those were some of the things that. That really stood out to me as. As we go through that, trying to.

[C]

Think if there's anything else that stood out to me. We talked about Trey, we talked about Micah, the decisions on Poyer and Mitch, Curtis Samuel. Yeah. And just the emotion, I think. Yeah, that was something that. Not to say. I'm surprised, but sometimes we forget that there are really tough decisions to be made and also really tough conversations that have to be had alongside of that. So I think it's nice to also Hear from SHA McDermot after this decision, because obviously it's a guy that means a lot to him, so. Very interesting.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It was telling. I don't know. I. I think the players really like Sean. Maybe some fans don't want to hear that. How much they love that guy in that locker room.

[C]

And he got an A. Right. They do. Like the end of the season.

[B]

Yes. That was before this. So it was before 9. 11 comments. And that whole story broke. Still, nonetheless, I still think that the way those players stood up for him. You know, Mike Edwards talked about, why did you pick here? And he said the culture. Like, why. Why did you land in Buffalo? And he said the culture. So a lot of good. Again, I still think the Bills are in really good shape heading into the draft. I don't think there's any massive needs, and shockingly enough, they're okay with the salary cap. I didn't think it was going to be possible.

[C]

I don't want to talk about the salary cap. I sound like a child. I don't want. I just. We've talked about it a lot. People. If you follow along, you know, Dan's mouthing something to me. I'm just gonna. I know you do. I Get it? I hear you. We all hear you. Brandon, we're really happy for you. Brandon, we're really happy for you. But we don't have to talk about it right now.

[B]

Like Bean saying, we've spent all the money that we saved making the cuts. That's crazy. I thought you had to save the money that you saved.

[C]

We're still talking about it. Anything else?

[B]

So we wanted to do. Mike and I were talking about doing a comment of the week.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[B]

So wow.

[C]

First I'm hearing about it.

[B]

I thought you listened to POD when you.

[C]

No, I did, I did.

[B]

This is at the end. We talked about doing a comment or commenter of the week. So make sure to like comment. Subscribe to the videos. Some of them are going to be mean, some of them are going to be insightful. All of these things. The one that stood out to me was from a couple days ago. Sacco s tw w y so I don't know if that's a place but he said buffalo plus drinking game. Remember to always please drink responsibly. Every time Dan says quote again, you take a drink. Oh, you're plastered by the 5 minute mark. I thought that was pretty good.

[C]

That's pretty good.

[B]

That's pretty good.

[C]

Yeah, that's pretty funny.

[B]

And just so that Sacco knows. I will now be extremely self conscious about every time I say again.

[C]

I think people forget that we sometimes like we're human. We do read the comments and some of those comments are awesome. Are they? They hurt. Honestly. I. I say at the same point or at the same time.

[B]

I don't know people I think interesting a lot.

[C]

I do too. I do too. I try not to.

[B]

It's so hard and you don't know it until it's over.

[C]

No. You don't know it until someone points it out. Yeah. And you're like, oh cool. I'll be self conscious about that for the rest of my life. Thanks.

[B]

So thanks to stacko S t w w y for the first again.

[C]

No, yeah, again. I need to find a comment again. We don't have to find it right now but yeah, I. Yeah. If there's also any ideas that you think would be fun for content like around our channel, always be sure to leave a comment because we do, we do appreciate. We do read a lot of the comments as well. Not every comment but a lot of them.

[B]

And then one other thing I wanted to say. I feel like we need to do a better job of decorating our studio. So if anybody has any ideas or Wants to submit something.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

You could send something in and we can make it as one of our, like, backdrops. Gotta. We're. We're. We're still sprucing up the studio.

[C]

Yeah. But, yeah, it's a work in progress. The tough thing is, is we've all been taking vacation because this is really the only time that we can.

[B]

Because it's just Jenna's world. We're all just living in it.

[C]

No, no. I'll have fun vacations coming up. Yeah, I'm gonna like that comment by that guy.

[B]

That's a good comment.

[C]

That is a good comment. Funny. There's some other great comments.

[B]

Please always drink responsibly.

[C]

Yes. If you can. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Drink responsibly. Bet responsibly as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

All right, let's. We'll wrap up here then. Thank you so much for joining us here on Buffalo Plus. For Mike Catalana, who is on grandpop duty, Dan Fates, I'm Jenna Contrel. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe. And I'm adding share because if you want to share it with someone, a loved one that's a Bills fan, we would very much so appreciate that.

[B]

And obviously YouTube is for people mainly that want to watch it, but we are on all of the audio channels if you just want to throw it on in the car. Yeah, you don't need to see our ugly mugs.

[C]

Yeah, we're probably way more palatable that way. So be sure to if you do listen on a podcast platform, Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, wherever you listen to your podcast, please be sure to subscribe, though. Yeah, it does help us there as well. All right, I think that's it. Thanks for watching Buffalo Plus. We'll catch you next time here on Buffalo Plus. Nailed it.

[B]

Buffalo plus, your interactive look at the week in football brought to you by Connors and Ferris.

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