
THE BAND IS BACK TOGETHER. Mike, Jenna and Dan discuss the Bills plans moving forward and how aggressive they should be in the upcoming draft.
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C
I don't know. Brandon Beam would never answer the question, but he said Josh was aware that we were considering trading him. I want to know what Josh's response was. Because if he was still that guy, Stefon Diggs and Josh had the faith in him and they had the relationship, he'd be pounding on the table going, do not trade my guy 100%. I don't think there was any of that going on. I think he was ready for him to go.
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This is the Buffalo plus podcast brought to you by Connors and Ferris.
B
All right, welcome back to the Buffalo plus podcast presented by Connors and Ferris, Mike Catalana, Dan Fates, I am Jenna Cottrell. We are all here today. Back.
C
Look at that. Back together, gang.
B
Back together is back together. Please be sure to like comment, subscribe as well as share. We're going to talk a little bit now that the dust is settled on the digs deal. Who the pressure is on now and the bills organization. Plus some, some bills, the possibility of summer plans. What we've heard here, the latest. So let's get into it though, Mike, because you were sick last week, so vacation and sick.
C
Yeah, I was sitting there. I, I couldn't get out of bed and I couldn't talk and I couldn't drink coffee.
B
Which of you know, Mike, not being.
C
Able to talk and drink coffee is like, that's what my wife knows. You're in trouble. And I kept looking at my phone and I'm going, wow, wow, this, this is, this isn't fake. Adam Schnefner or whatever.
A
Yeah.
C
Like this is real. And, and now we've had time to, to settle into it. Look, we, I think we all felt that they weren't going to make a deal.
A
Correct.
C
Leading up to it. And I think there was every reason to believe they would wait it out a year and let it play. But I think the fact that they made the move now says some things about the organization, where they think they are and where they were with Stefan Diggs and how it got to the point that they believed this was the time to make the move. Because, I mean, the return is okay. It's about what I expected for a guy 30 years old.
A
Yeah.
C
But it's not like somebody came at you with all this stuff, and you had to make the move. It's. It seems to me like a trade that they were like, yeah, yep, that's good enough. Let's move on.
A
It's cutting your losses. Yeah, yeah. Still. Still trying to digest it, I think is part of it.
B
I feel like we need to put, like, a warning that Dan has been texting us all week saying how excited he is to podcast.
C
By the way, the reason this is a little later than normal is we were in the path of totality for the eclipse.
A
Good point.
C
So we were working for that yesterday, and it pushed everything back here at the TV station, But Dan was like, Sunday afternoon, he's like, cannot wait to pot. I have, like, 11 texts that say, I cannot wait to pot.
A
In the path of totality. Is Josh the sun? And would have Diggs been the moon, or was Diggs the clouds that ruined it for western New York? I'm just trying to figure out where. How I can make that analogy.
C
I think. I mean, look, if. With the Bills, Josh is the sun. Yeah.
B
He's got to be. He's bigger than everyone.
A
Yeah.
C
He's the son.
A
Diggs. Was the moon trying to block him out?
C
Yeah, maybe a little bit. Yeah.
B
Bill's mafia clouds were the tweets or.
A
Just Bill's mafia that were just over it? Yeah, yeah. I've just had some time to. Just because there have been so many takes so much. I think we joked around about it. We came in and did the podcast right after, you know, the emergency pod. But there was also some things I think that we also maybe wanted to still kind of understand. Tim Graham did a great job talking about the microaggressions that kind of went on and the stories inside the Bills locker room. And again, none of it was massively new, but it was just the culmination of all of them. Seemed to kind of wear on him. The one thing I do have a problem with, and this is sports. So it's not just Bill's fans, but it's the ex partner effect. It's the. Oh, good. I'm glad Diggs is gone. I never liked him anyway. And it's like you have a Diggs jersey in your closet, and you have an. You have an Allen and Diggs sign in your front yard.
B
So good.
A
So. So let's not act like we. This guy was. Was nothing. And I think to some respects, Diggs made the Bills cool. Like. Like him coming there was one of the first big offensive additions to this Bills team that was like, oh, they're serious now and then when he resigned and all these things. Like that's where I think it's hard not to. I know there's a lot of faith in Brandon Bean and I get that it's hard not to look at this as one of his biggest financial missteps so far as a gm. Because if all these things were culminating, look, remember how they got him from Minnesota? Kind of like this. Whether or not he asked for the trade or not, he kind of wore out his welcome in Minnesota, which is how this happened. So if you had any inclination. I guess I'm confused as to why you then gave him the extension last year to then now you have to eat it this year.
B
My caveat to you saying it's one of the worst deals by Brandon Bean. I would say Vaughn Miller's contract.
C
Oh, it's not even in the same stratosphere. Miller's is considerably worse.
B
But I hear what you are saying. Why would you go out and have an extension if you thought this player would be an issue for you, for you just a season later? I understand that thought process. I also think for the Bills, I think for them they've been having to kind of placate Diggs a little bit, keep him happy, keep him feeling good, keep him feeling locked in. And I think that that does wear on an organization when they've made it very clear that no player essentially other than Josh Allen is above the we. And I think for Bill's fans, just to jump off your point, I think for Bill's fans, they've spent so long defending Diggs saying like, okay, he's our guy, we love him. I have his jersey, all this stuff. Even when the cryptic tweets came out that they felt frustrated of, like, why absolutely do I have to keep defending this guy? Like he's in Buffalo, all this stuff. And then when he was gone, I feel like that kind of the rose colored glasses came off of like, oh my gosh.
A
Like totally fair.
B
Yeah, good point.
C
So let's go back to the contract. So they redid his deal.
A
When will they extended last season.
C
Before. Well, it was before the season. It was before the draft last season. There's the level of he's annoying us. You'll put up with a lot of annoying. Teams will put up with a lot of crap when the production is still here. I think he got a little bit of a leeway on the year before. Second half of the year, a lot of things changed. Demar, all that stuff happened with the team his production dropped substantially again in the second half of the year. His performance in big moments like in the Chiefs game dropped. And at that point, I'm not giving Bean the break. He did sign him to the deal, but I'm saying is. No. Now you start saying, is he the same guy? And do we want another year of this or do we want to make this move now? I think if he was still playing, he's still a very good player. And by the way, no question he's the number one receiver on this roster. If he's still playing for the.
A
Said that and being said that, they're not better right now.
C
They're not better right now. But there's the point where you go, okay, all right. And then they watch the tape again of the second part of the year and in some of those big games and listen, you know, the way other teams talk sometimes. I never saw a response from Diggs with that. He's. Look at. Look at his games in these big moments. It's not been great. Hey, listen, I'm a fan of the guy. I thought he was. It was great to have him in Buffalo. My point is, I lot changed over the last year. I think if he was still playing at that certain level, they didn't have to make this move. They still didn't have to make the move, but I think they felt like the combination of the two, it was time to just part ways and. And rebuild. Especially with the draft.
B
I think you kind of see the tea leaves too, of his production was down. He was taking himself off the field a lot of times as well. He. He told that after Josh Norman said after the season to John Warrior of the Associated Press that Diggs was taking himself off the field in certain moments. And when you looked at the snap counts later on in the season, it did feel like guys like Trent Sherfield had higher snap counts than Stefan Diggs. I feel like for the team, they realized that and it makes sense to have Khil Shakir, a guy like that, have more time on the field because he was playing well and kind of emerging. But I think for the Bills, it just came to a situation of what are we getting from this and what are we putting up with? And I think for them, they're like, I don't know if I can do another season of this. They do need receiving help, no question. They are absolutely in a spot where they have to continue to add because they need it. But at the same point, I think it was addition by subtraction.
C
All right, he's ready with something, so I'm gonna let him go.
A
Well, I, I got a couple of things because I think, I think if you want to talk production, if you want to talk about what you think digs translate to in the future, that's fine. He is 30 some.
B
He's 30, he turns 31 in.
A
So all those points make sense. I think it is a lazy take to look at his numbers, just stats over the last eight games and say look at his stats. He wasn't playing well. His production wasn't there. He's not the same wide receiver because I have three distinct plays that are worth over 150 yards that Josh Allen missed him.
C
Yeah, I'm not saying that that didn't happen, that there weren't plays. I'm just saying is overall Stefon Diggs, I agree with you on the three deep balls that Josh missed him on which would have added to the numbers.
A
God forbid we, we criticize Josh not saying this.
C
We talk, we talked about it here that I thought the numbers would have been better. I think whether you want to say statistically or just with our own eyes watching the game, Diggs was not a dominant player the second half of the year.
A
If you want to make the case that the Bills found ways to win without Stefan Diggs, I completely agree 100% they did. But if you're going to say like Diggs dropped off and point at numbers, I have a problem with that because he missed. He, he cooked Jaylen Ramsey in Miami in the first quarter. Would have been an 89 yard touchdown. Josh overthrew him by 15 yards. He did the same thing. The Bills were on their 13 yard line, third quarter, three minutes to go against the Patriots. I can't show the footage of this because it would get the, the podcast flagged. But like he missed them again. He ran by two players again and had a deep ball.
C
Not saying he can't still make plays. I'm talking about to the point where you're number one guy. 60, 70 snaps a game where you're a dominant guy. And I, I'm telling you that this is not dropped off a cliff, but this is not still a superstar. He's a talented player, very good. It reaches the point he's a pain in the ass. He's really good. And when it got to that point, this is where they said go and I want to know, I don't know. Brandon B. Would never answer the question, but he said Josh was aware that we were considering trading him. I want to know what Josh's response was, because if he was still that guy, Stefon Diggs and Josh had the faith in him and they had the relationship, he'd be pounding on the table going, do not trade my guy 100%. I don't think there was any of that shit going on. I think he was ready for him to go.
A
I understand, and that's fine. But the narrative that is out there is like, he's not it anymore.
C
Well, he may not be.
B
This I was gonna say, but he's.
C
Still pretty damn good.
A
That's what I'm saying. And so this thought of like, you got a second round pick for Diggs is pretty good. It's like, but, but you ate $31 million. And some second round picks are Osiris Torrance and some of them are Cody Ford.
C
Well, yeah, but you could always say, you could say that in the first round.
A
Okay. I'm just saying this thought of like Diggs's production and also I think the playoff numbers. Right. People bring up the playoff numbers now all the time. I think that's also part of an indictment on Brandon Bean for never putting a true number two wide receiver alongside. I think the playoff numbers against the Chiefs is more of a testament to Steve Spagnola and his ability to take away number one guy. You can talk about the drop. I'm not, I'm not dismissing the drop. Diggs has pointed that out. It's very clear. He dropped the ball. Kyle Brandt called it the drop of a generation. Okay, buddy. But, but, but the fact matters is. Yes, but in other times too, there was a game.
B
Why are you taking this so personal?
A
Because I feel like the narrative has gotten.
C
It always swings too far.
A
That's swings too far.
C
But I'm saying is, it doesn't go like this to me. It just went enough. And I'm sure they were sitting there. So what I'm saying to you is Diggs is now a 1A on his way to being a 2. And they were making the decision, do we.
A
Which is what we all thought it was going to be this year. And now I feel like, are you caught with your pants down? Like, was this a rash decision? When were these moves made? That's.
B
I, I hear what you're saying because it does seem so unexpected.
A
Because what's the plan now? Because they were already thin at wide receiver and now they are extremely fit.
C
Well, I'm going to tell you, I'm going to say what Bean says. It's April and they can still make deals. Deals are Made AJ Brown was traded on the day of the draft. Players get moved, teams draft players, veterans get cut loose. They're going to draft a guy somewhere relatively early and they're going to sign another veteran. Now, I'm not saying that replaces. You're not replacing Stefan Diggs. You're going to replace his production. More from Shakir, more from Kincaid, more from other players. It'll probably be a little more balanced until someone, maybe this draft pick eventually emerges as a number one guy. That would be the Kincaid too. Well, yeah, you know, you can go heavier with the. He caught a bunch of balls this year. That's all I'm saying.
B
It's. It's those catches by committee as opposed to having. And maybe and I. It is April and I think sometimes that is very hard because we always want to see what's the talent level at, where are they adding, how are they going to essentially, you know, up their odds? Who is the guy on their team? Like, you talk about the, the dog factor of like being able to name other guys on other teams that you're like, that is, that guy is a dude right there.
C
And Diggs was that guy.
B
And Diggs out. Absolutely was that guy. I don't know. If you were to ask a casual fan outside of Buffalo, who are the Bills wide receivers right now? I think that does say a lot too about where that talent level is at.
C
You can even ask people in Buffalo, some may not know.
B
I mean, that's fair. Because of the changes. Obviously Gabe Davis is gone and then Diggs. But I think for the Bills, it just got to the point where they were like, you know what, we're over it.
A
The juice ain't worth the squeeze anymore. I understand that. And I'm not trying to sit here and say like, I hate the move. I'm just sitting there and saying that having a down year and catching 110 balls for 1100 yards and eight touchdowns, that doesn't grow on trees. And if you want to go Billy Bean, Moneyball and sit there and say, well, we're going to replace this in the aggregate, I think that's tough.
C
Don't use numbers to support yourself and not use.
A
How good was he the first half of the season?
B
He was phenomenal.
C
Okay, so two years in a row, dropped in the second half of the year, has been ineffective in most of the playoff series situations. And you made the point context. They take away your number one guy and in that game the number two guy set an all time record of catches in that game.
A
They lit. The Chiefs were literally saying, we'll let Gabe Davis beat us single handedly. And he almost beat.
C
Well then at some point they should have stopped saying that. I mean he kept catching touchdowns again. So I'm not saying Gabe is great. I'm just saying is think to yourself early on a couple of big games in the playoffs, right? He had the one good game since then in Miami game. The numbers are not great. They're not number one receivers and 100.
A
128 against Indy, 106 against Buffalo, Baltimore. Then in that crazy game or no, the bad AFC title game, 77. Then he had 60 against New England, the game that he, the wild game. He only had seven yards, had the great two point conversion catch. But yes, he was shut out. Then against Miami 114. And then against Cincinnati when nobody showed up, he had 35 yards.
C
Okay, but he's the guy that's supposed to show up. And he showed up as quarterback on that day.
A
But, but that's what I'm saying is that also he was open again in that day and Josh overthrew him. So yeah, this thought of like, well, Diggs is like that he's washed up and that it's like, oh, it's finally time.
C
I, I don't think people are saying he's w. If they do, it's just fans overreacting. He's not washed up.
B
I think that the component that we are forgetting is the relationship between Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs. And that is not able to be computed into a number. And I think that tells.
A
Why is that?
B
Because we're not inside the building.
C
There it is.
A
Thank you.
B
At first I was like, no, but I think you can't. There's no equation to put that into perspective. But a couple seasons ago it was Best Friends, Sports Illustrated kids cover. There was the awkwardness after that Cincinnati loss. Then training camp came around and Diggs completely squashed that narrative. And, and then throughout the season it felt like first of all, we saw how Josh was down during that losing streak, like how disheveled he was. And I think you saw things continue to kind of to grow. And I think there was that. We, we used to see Diggs and Josh together all the time, you know, being the camaraderie, the, the, you know, just guys being dudes type of stuff. And I think for Josh, my opinion is he was just tired of it. And I think maybe he felt like he had to be on Eggshells. And Tim Graham had a report in his podcast, tgif. Tim Graham of the Athletics said that after the first game in against the jets in MetLife, where the bills ended up losing, he said Josh had, you know, was in the locker room afterwards and guys were coming up to him and. And, you know, talking him up and all that stuff. And he said he didn't know what Diggs had said to Josh, but Josh responded and snapped back and kind of said, it's one bleeping game. And Tim Grade didn't report it and his athletic piece at the time, but he said that in the podcast. So I think that. That. That's interesting to me.
C
Yeah, I mean, that can also. That's a moment of frustration at the end of a game, and that can happen.
B
It's not even what he said. It's that what I would say, like, as your friend, if you're in a bad moment, I'm not pouring gasoline on that.
A
Right.
C
But it could have been, if you're in a bad mood, you could say almost anything sometimes, and people respond. I'm not saying that's the case, but I am agreeing with you in this case for some reason. Josh Allen, I said this to you guys. Josh Allen is the absolute alpha of this franchise. He's the guy. And I always felt like he played and wanted Stefan Diggs's approval. He's the only guy.
B
I completely agree.
C
I was like. And I do think it affected him as a quarterback at times. He wanted, listen, you want to get your number one guy the ball. But I just think there were times it felt that way. And then after all this, it just somehow got into his head. This is just my impression, because the football became personal, whatever that was, and then they. They took care of that enough. But I just think, for whatever reason, like I said, you're. You're Josh Allen. Your GM is calling you. You're the guy that's got a quarterback, the team, and he's saying, we're trading digs, and you're not flipping out. You're not saying for what. Why are we doing this? Who are we bringing in?
B
Well, we don't know if he was.
C
Like, let me tell you something.
A
Not in the building.
B
But at the end of the day, the move was still made. So either he was like, all right, Bean, I have faith in you. Or he said, okay, do it.
A
I guess that. That. That's my problem. And this always happens when a coach gets fired. Right after coach gets fired, it's all the stories, all the dirty laundry.
C
All of McDermott's came out already.
A
Yeah, but like. But like, it's like whenever it's Urban Meyer gets fired, it's. Anybody else gets fired, it's, oh, by the way, he was a. He was a dick to this player, and he. He was mean to the custodian, and he was all these things.
C
You're right.
A
So that's where I. I'm not sitting here saying that I would have never traded Stefan Diggs. I'm saying is that, like, you always talk about it. There's reasons, not excuses. And, Jenna, to your point, when Diggs was really. When Josh was really down at the beginning of the year on the low positive, who did he say? Was he always. The one that came to him was Diggs. Diggs was always. We were on the sidelines. I have this hard time believing that Diggs wasn't this leader that we all saw with our eyes and this. He was miserable in Buffalo and that he had a terrible relationship.
B
I don't think you have to be miserable. I. I think again, I think you can do all those things. Like, I think you can be a good leader, but then you. You're not a good. Like, you're not good friends with someone, if that makes sense. I feel like for Allen, he felt pressure to throw digs the ball. If he overthrew him, it wasn't like.
A
Hey, man, who else to throw to?
B
Oh, you saw. I mean, last year, you saw Khalil Shakir coming in, emerging.
C
Josh led the league in touchdowns. Still.
B
I was gonna say, like, because Josh is really good.
C
Yeah. And that's what I'm saying is. But you. You. You're making these points and you're saying, the guy's trash. Or it's this.
A
I.
C
Listen, if fans want to say that, they can say that. I'm not saying that. The Bills are not saying that. They're not saying that. He's just gotten to the point.
A
I agree.
C
Where it's time to move on.
A
So when does the pain in the ass surpass the $31 million of screw it, we'll eat it, and we'll cut ties?
B
That is why I think it's very important the Bills made this move. And paying the extra 3 million, it was $31 million for him not to be on the roster.
C
By the way, that in and of itself, that is. Is the best.
B
Huge.
A
Yep.
C
It's the. It's the best example. It ended up being the best example of what we always talk about with the cap, because this team looked at it and said, it's cash versus cap. Yeah, it's a great example. Of it. 18 million cap hit for Diggs for this year. All they did was add 3 million and they saved Terry Pigula, what, $20 million of cash in the future in 2025. It's the. But also paying him this year's salary.
A
Correct. But you know, you know that Terry's not happy that he already paid a guy $31 million and he's playing somewhere else.
C
In this case, I think the owner's all on board with cutting the ties now, adding the 3 million.
B
Think about it. They paid $31 million for him not to be on the team. They did it before June 1, which after, if they were to do it afterwards, they would have it a little bit back. And they traded to. To a team in the AFC that's contending now.
C
I think the owner's on board with this. This is more cash that would have been out of his pocket going forward and a bigger cap hit. And I know you don't have the player now, but when the football people come to you and say, this is what we can do, I guarantee you Pago is like, I've already spent it.
A
Already spent it. It's like you paid off your car and then you lit your car on fire and pushed it off a cliff.
C
I don't think so.
A
Because guess what? You no longer have a car payment. Congrats. You don't have a car.
C
I think this is a good example of the. Of the actual fake versus reality of the cap. This is just a way for the. This is cash versus cap. I'm telling you. This ends up being a relatively easy move by the Bills. He's off the books for next year. And yes, you're right, there is that element of we're paying a guy who's not on the roster. But it ends now. It ends now with Diggs this year, and then it's finished. And I think that was a big. Again, big pluses. But let me tell you something. If you don't bring in guys to replace the production, then it's an issue. Then it's going to be a huge deal, which is where we can talk.
A
About the pressure, which is where I said, now you don't have a car like that. That's what I'm saying. Like, you don't have what. That's where we're kind of talking about. It's like, is the plan. And again, all I wanted to put into context is the ending of the stats. Like Diggs's stats in the beginning of the year and the end of the year. Both need context added to them because we talked about this. We asked Josh about this. Why haven't you been able to connect with Diggs on the deep ball? He's been open. I, I go, go Google, go on X and search Allan overthrows Diggs. There's a lot of tweets about it because they can't believe it. So when everybody. My big thing was when everybody says Diggs is this or Diggs is that. Like, look at his numbers. And everybody on Tik Tok and Instagram reels are like, he was terrible. It's like, watch the games. Yeah.
B
But do you think, do you think also too though that maybe that's like a microcosm for their relationship of like, they were not on the same page. They used to be in sync, now they're not.
A
They were on the page enough for 108 yards, 108 catches.
C
But he did hit him in the biggest moment of the biggest game. And Diggs dropped the damn ball. And he also fumbled the ball in the first play. Right. Is that the Steelers game or the Chiefs game?
A
Steelers, I think.
C
Steelers game. I'm saying, is 3Diggs fans here for his time in Buffalo?
B
Yeah.
C
I thought the guy was great.
B
You're right. He made.
C
I see why they made the move.
A
But now I can too. I'm not sitting there saying I don't understand the move. I just don't want to have nothing planned to get caught with your pants down.
B
But I don't think you make this move if you don't have anything.
C
Yeah.
B
Like then, then Brandon Bead would be the worst general manager in the world if he's like, we'll just figure out.
A
Extended a guy and then cut a guy. So like, that's where I'm saying, like, that's where I have. Where is my level of.
C
Well, it's always the danger when you do contract extensions. It's always a danger.
A
That's what I'm saying. You know, it's the reason they didn't extend Von Miller this year. Everybody's like, well, you could extend Vaughn and save money. It's like, you don't want to extend that contract where his production is going to be in the future.
C
Yeah. And they could have done something with Diggs contract this year. If they were going to do anything with Dig's contract this year, it probably would have been what the Texans did.
B
And just chop off the last few years. Yeah.
C
Yeah.
B
I am very curious to see how things will go in Houston.
C
I think he's a really good Player, he'll be better in a secondary role. Secondary sort of a. At least second role. But while a lot of people say it's great and it could be that he's in a contract year, it could. It can also be a negative because.
B
If you're not getting the ball, contract.
C
Year for him, at his age, as good as he's been, this is the year. Going out as a free agent, you need to put up numbers because otherwise you're going to get. He'll get a Gabe Davis contract, three years, 18 million, whatever. The thing is, unless he puts up numbers.
B
Why are you so.
A
Yeah, just like, show me a wide receiver that doesn't want the ball and I'll show you a loser.
C
Yeah, but that's not the case. There's wanting the ball, not wanting the ball, and there's causing a problem for not getting the ball.
B
I think the pressure is way different too, considering you're going to be. And like, let's be real. If, like, Diggs is not going to be looked at as the number one, wherever he's been, he's been looked at as the number one.
C
Now, he could still play like a number one.
B
Absolutely. I'm available saying, like, the perception is he's not going to Houston to be their number one guy. I. That is a big bit of an ego hit. How will he handle that? I don't know.
A
Nico Collins and Tank Dell have both. Haven't. Have both had a nice cup of coffee.
B
I.
A
That. That's what I'm saying. Like, I'm just saying, if you look at that team like.
B
No, I hear you. They. Yeah, there are a lot of un. Like untested players long term. I hear that. But again, the perception is Diggs is not going to Houston to be the number one guy. And how. How will he handle that? And by the way, and this season, we will learn.
C
I'm a big fan of C.J. stroud. He was awesome.
B
Yeah. Fantastic.
C
But year two, everybody's got an offseason. Everybody's got to try to figure out a way to slow the guy down. I still think he's going to be great, but all of a sudden, expectations. Everything has changed for him in year two.
B
Yeah.
C
He may just be that guy.
A
Yeah.
C
And then Houston's going to be a really, really good team, which they might be anyhow, but just changes. It just changes coming off the year that they had. So.
B
Yeah. All right, let's talk pressure, because there's a lot of pressure now on a lot of members of the organization. But Mike. I mean, first and foremost, it's Brandon. Be.
C
Yeah, I think the pressure's. If I split it between the three of them, I would say right now it's 70% on Bean and 15 on Josh and McDermott.
A
That is exactly what I would have said.
C
Yeah. Because he's got to do something. Josh is a bit of an underdog coming into this year. Josh is back to, like, in the national perception. National perception, which I think is good. Yeah. I mean, it's. It's like he's got no weapons. He's got this.
B
They're taking a step, but, like, I think they. I think the Bills do love being counted out.
A
Yeah, It.
C
Well, it's easier to play when you've been counted out.
B
I agree.
C
Everybody's saying you're going to be great every.
B
Getting everyone's best all the time, and people aren't looking.
C
Now Bean's got to go out and get him help. And there is a lot of pressure. And it may not all happen week one, day one, whatever it is, because if you get a young player, it might take a little while. But I think the pressure's on Bean. I think he knows that, too. I think he knows it when he's sitting in the press conference going, we're not as good now. I just traded this guy. He's got to go out and get him help. But I think the pressure is squarely this year on Bean.
A
Yeah, but you also don't make that move if you don't have the assurance of getting some time to replace him.
C
Oh, I don't think he's getting fired.
A
Pressure. No, no, no.
B
But.
A
But it's what I talked about last year with McDermott. I don't think that there is pressure that McDermott. McDermott's on the hot seat. I don't think he's gonna get fired anytime soon. But there's pressure of, hey, gotta win, and you gotta win big games.
C
Now, this lowered the pressure on McDermott a little, massively. Not just Diggs.
A
Up on Brady, though. Up on Brady? Yeah, up on Brady. Yeah.
C
Well, yes, but he's got to incorporate new guys. But you know McDermott, you know Hyde Poyer. Oh, you know Mitch Morris, Like, a lot of veterans are gone. Which says, roster's down to whatever extent, and it's going to take more coaching. But in terms of, like, people saying, well, they have a great roster, great players, McDermott's got to be better. I think the roster's taking a step back, at least initially, until we see how these guys play.
B
Yeah, I think that's a very, very fair. I think going into last season, we thought the roster was a little bit less talented than the year before.
A
Yep.
B
And then now it's like it seems at this moment to be. But again, the draft will be big, I think. I don't want to speak out of term, but are you both expecting for Buffalo to move up pretty considerably in the draft?
C
I don't know. I. I could see, you know, we went through.
B
You don't think so?
C
Jenna and I did those where. Where it's easy for people to say move up to get number four. Okay. First of all, you got to find a team that what you think a team or move up number five or wherever you want to go. You want to find a team that wants to go back to 28 like this maybe takes a series of moves. It's expensive to move up. I. I think if this is my scenario that he would move up is the one we talked about to Seattle at 16. It would cost you a pick. Maybe even the two you just got for digs. If you were able to trade next year, that too. And you're moving up for Brian Thomas because Cincinnati sitting there at 18 and you really. I mean, as much as you can't worry about everybody else, man, if you got a player like that and I think Thomas is right there in that notch below the first three guys. I think if he floats down into those teens Seattle doesn't have. They've lost some draft picks that would be where I would say expensive. But you're going to get a guy that you think is right there at the elite or close to the elite level.
A
I'm okay with moving into the top 10, giving up next year's first and maybe something else. I think you're going to need to give up whether it's a third next year or throwing in a fifth next year. And if you can get a top three guy.
C
So you're saying if you get a.
A
Neighbor or neighbors, a Dunes or Harrison. If, if one of those guys is still there at nine, they're there at six. I don't know how much you would. How much it would take to get up to six.
C
It. It's a fortune to get up there.
A
Yeah. And.
C
And then that team's got to want to go back to 28 this year.
A
Right. It. It. And it's also the fact of would you be okay with then going into next year with no first round pick but you'd have two seconds and you're second with Minnesota.
C
Could be. I don't think 28. Next year's one gets you there, I said.
A
And more.
C
Yeah, a lot more. I think it's a lot more. That is. That is a massive look at what. The closest thing we've seen to a receiver that way, I think, was the year Atlanta moved up to get Julio Jones. Maybe it's.
A
Maybe it's two firsts.
C
It's a lot. And I don't. I don't picture him doing that. I think there's too many other things and there's too much uncertainty just in general. It's wide receivers. The history of top 10 wide receivers has not been that great in the league. It's okay. It's good, but it's not that great. But I can see him. Jenna, being aggressive for the right. For the right player.
B
Yeah.
C
Or you sit at 28 and you wait to see man. Adnai Mitchell.
A
Yeah.
C
Vlad McConkey.
A
I. I think they're good players. I think they're good. I think they're good wide receivers. I think that the. The top three are elite. And it's kind of what we've talked about before. I don't know. And again, it seems like some wide receivers last year, it was like the run at like 19, 18, 20, when Addison and all those guys went there. And I. I'd like to see them after this move. I'd like to see them make a splash. I'd like to see Bean really, really flex in what way to go. If you. If you got to go in, how can you get to. To 9? How can you get to Chicago? How can you get to 10?
B
That's what I had in my mock of him trading.
C
So I would say if I were to look at it, and if you looked at the numbers, my guess, it cost you 28 next year's one and at least another two to get there. Dan, do you think it's massive draft capital, do you think.
B
Because everyone knows the Bills need a wide receiver, too. Do you think there'll be, like, attacks on that essentially? Like, there's the formulation.
A
I think everybody. I think everybody needs a wide receiver.
C
And where everybody needs something.
A
Yeah.
C
A little bit you get. I said to Jenna, a little bit of tax. I think you get when you. They know you're trying to get a quarterback because teams will be a little more. I'll say desperate has.
A
Well, a little more desperate. And you're also a little bit more hesitant to be the team that also gave you a franchise quarterback.
C
Yeah. Who would ever do that?
B
Can't Imagine that. Any last Diggs thoughts, Stan?
A
No, that was, that was just.
C
I'm curious as how Bill's fans will feel. Are you going to sit there every week and root against Diggs?
B
No.
C
Like I don't really care. I hope he hasn't. Go ahead, have fun. I would have liked to seen. I would have been fun to see if his, if it was a trade that involved his numbers that you would almost have to be rooting for Diggs to put up numbers in order to be higher.
B
Yeah, yeah.
C
But it's not. He's going to play. He's going to do well. He's been a very productive player throughout his career.
B
Yeah.
C
And he'll be productive. He'll definitely be productive.
A
In Houston, we had always heard things of, you know, Diggs is kind of what you see. He's cryptic. He, Diggs is a diva wide receiver. Like he is the modern day diva wide receiver. He will put things on his Instagram stories and then delete it and be like, well, you know, like off my Twitter. I, I think there was a part of that, what I saw in the field and especially what I saw over the last, this entire last season going back to training camp when it was he finally came out. Every time Diggs spoke, I listened because it was, it was well thought out. Everything about it was poignanted. It had a reason that he would say things and maybe at times we shoot. How many videos have we done about what Dig said or what his tweets were or what he didn't do things of that. I get all that. Still think he's a damn good receiver. And my, again, my thing is really good. It's. It's wide receiver. True wide receivers don't come up often. You have to draft them or you have to trade for them. They don't hit free agency. And to replace 108 yards or 108 catches and 1100 yards and eight touchdowns. That doesn't just grow on trees. So my thought is, is how are you replacing that? Because I was concerned about this wide receiver room the last five years and now I've never been more concerned about who Josh Allen is going to throw to. And they have shown the ability to run the ball and that's great. But you invested a quarter of a billion, of quarter of a billion dollars to a quarterback that I don't think you want to have him hand the ball off 30 times a game.
C
Yeah. And I don't think it's going to be that case. And I think you have a professional Receiver, a good player in Samuel. You really like what you saw out of Shakira last year. And you have a tight end that I think can be one of the top five pass catchers at the position this year. Already showed that much as a rookie. What is missing is the star. What is missing is the stud number one guy. That's what he's got to go out and find.
B
Yeah.
C
And to your point, maybe he does feel that way, that he's going to be like, all in. All in. I'm going to, you know, go get Marvin Harrison. I don't think there's. I think there's little to no chance of that happening because. So costly.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah. Massively costly.
B
I also think, too, like, Josh Allen, not super active on social media in terms of Twitter and stuff, but he'll retweet stuff and, like, no message.
C
I haven't noticed. I saw Dion. Dion had a message publicly.
B
I. Yeah. And it's funny because it's like, oh, it's social. Stay off my social media. Like, Diggs would always say that. And I think that that's not always, like.
A
I think some people pointed out that his goodbye could have been AI generated.
B
Yeah.
A
That somebody, like, ran it through, like, an AI generated. Came by, like, 94% AI generated.
B
I don't know the legitimacy of that, but it's pretty funny.
A
But it's funny.
C
By the way, Diggs is working out with CJ Stroud and a couple of the other players in the off season. And I don't want to hear anything from Bill's fans about working out with the Bills because the quarterback doesn't do that in the off season. He doesn't.
B
So it's.
C
What's he doing the off season?
A
He's golfing with Grant Horvath. Video coming out soon.
B
I'm curious if Josh is just, like, the type of person that doesn't put that stuff online.
C
No, he doesn't do it. You're talking about the pl. The practicing.
A
Because he'd be there with somebody else. There's somebody else that would post it.
B
That's fair. I just. I guess I feel like he's very private now.
C
What did he say? I don't do anything in the.
B
He said that on the Busing with the boys podcast, which. That pissed me off. And last year, because you see the video.
A
Do you think that pissed Digs off?
B
Yeah. That's fair.
C
Last year.
B
I agree.
C
We saw him. We saw him, like, 10 times.
B
I hear you. I also just think that Diggs got to be Annoying.
C
I'm not dis.
A
When you traded for him, that's what, like, you. This.
C
Yeah.
A
This cheetah didn't change its spots.
B
I. I hear you, but I also think that it's got.
A
It's like.
B
What's the meme? It's like.
A
It's like, so you. You cheated, and you got somebody, and then all of a sudden, they came to you and then they leave you or. Because they cheat again.
B
Yeah.
A
It's like, well, how did you get them?
B
Yeah.
A
Diggs was. Was who Diggs was, and he was a great leader and all these things, but he wore out his welcome.
C
But when they got Diggs.
A
That's the point.
C
Diggs was a very good player. Player, not a star. He became a star. His big moment was the catch.
B
Yeah.
C
In the playoff game.
B
Yeah.
C
He became a star in Buffalo. A star player.
A
Yep.
C
He was always considered good, but he was sort of overshadowed a little bit by the other receivers in. In Minnesota beforehand. He became a star there, and there was obviously a break with the two of them. Something happened, and then it just stayed that way. But he'll play well in Houston. The Bill's got to find a way to replace him.
B
Yeah. Now I'm annoyed again.
A
With me?
B
No, with your points. I think it's different. I get why Diggs would be upset when he'd be like, I'm working my tail off in the off season. What are you doing? I totally hear that. Then I also think that Diggs had a way of grinding Josh Allen's gears, whether it be his brother tweeting or, you know, his tweets in general. And him. I felt like you couldn't really ask him specifically about his brother. He's like, you know, that's my family. Like, don't speak on my family. Which, I understand you want to protect your siblings, but I also think. I mean, his sibling is not just a random sibling. He's a fellow NFL player. So I think that's why it carried as much weight as it did.
C
Yeah. And by the way, that was.
B
I think it's. Grading is probably the best word.
C
Yeah.
B
And. And look, I. I hear you. You want to see Josh Allen practicing in the off season. Of course. And there were moments early on the season, throughout the season, where you're like, ooh, Josh. But he is Josh Allen, and I have the belief that he can play like that.
C
Yeah. But I'm talking about for his teammates, especially this year with a bunch of new guys, you know, bring them out to that house in California, have A little passing camp, you know. Yeah, I'd like to see that.
A
He doesn't need to post it.
C
I don't care about.
A
No, no. I'm just saying.
C
No, I don't care about. I'm saying is we would know about it.
A
Correct. That's what I'm saying. Have Shakir post something or have just. Just some.
C
Palmer is one of his coaches.
B
Yeah.
A
You know they post videos all the time. So I know he was at some camp with Kyle Allen and Jordan Palmer because they just did a video. Oh, they had the QB room, which was before the digs trade. And everybody was like he was talking about wide receivers in the draft. I'm sure Josh looks at all the wide receivers in every draft and I'm.
C
Sure this week he's probably going to be looking at Tiger woods and Justin.
B
Thomas and I'll probably be there. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
C
Hey, have at it. And where's practicing in Houston. All right. We have a little. It's not really news to break. It's just an update on what it is. We believe that the Bills are going to be back at St. John Fisher for training camp. We have some sources both within the Bills and within Fisher telling us that they are moving ahead with the plans. It is not official yet. Paperwork has not been signed. This is the pattern. It's fallen for the last few years. The Bills like these one year deals. I think Fisher likes the one year deals. I think this is what we're going to see again. But I can tell you that the university is moving ahead. What are we in April now? It's not that far off, you know, so it's three months, I guess, plus when they would have it, camp would probably be very similar. I think guys, McDermott loves this atmosphere. You know, we talked to him at. At the combine. He emphasized again how much he loves it, but with a lot of new faces. I think he's going to really want this environment for those few weeks.
A
Yeah. Even more than. Even more than normal. To get away all the things that we have said 50 times about getting to be in dorms and that bonding and Kumbaya, fireside chats. Yeah, all that stuff. I think it's important. Whereas you are going through. It's not a rebuild, say a reset. It's a reset. There's no question, you know, it's. It's a reset. It's a step. It's a step back as of right now as the recording on April 9th. Like this roster is. And I get it. And being is right. Like It's. You have time to. To work things out, but you got to make moves.
B
Yeah.
C
Yes, they definitely have to make moves real quick.
B
Want to shout out Dave Constantino. Thank you so much, Dave. We have. If you want to take the three shot. Dan. The little Bill's gnomes out here. So cute. We love it. So he actually hand carves them himself. He sent them to us. I know. Look at that. I don't.
A
You get it in focus.
B
Put it. Yeah, maybe put it over. Yeah, there we go. His website, or if you check it out, Mountain man artworks on Facebook.
C
One of them is one. He's. He's tweeting something.
B
Yeah. We love it. We want to thank Dave for sending these along. I know that looks cool. Those are hand carved.
C
That looks cool the way the picture is too, Dan.
B
Yeah. Well, you can't see, but there's even like little shoelaces on there.
C
Nice.
B
Yeah. No detail. The craftsmanship. So we want to thank Dave. Thanks for sending these along. We appreciate it. They are really cool. They're adorable. Love it.
A
We want to keep bringing things into the pod.
B
Yeah.
A
The studio. We don't want it to be tchotchke. Jen and I were talking, but we do want it to feel lived in.
B
Yes.
A
We want you, the viewer, to kind of feel like you have a part of the studio. As we.
C
By the way, we're going to replace the jersey behind.
A
It's not a Stevie Johnson jersey.
C
So I can just tell you guys, our station, Channel 13 was a major sponsor for years for the training camp in Rochester when they went with these God awful uniforms they presented us with. And in fact, it even says on the back wokr, which is our old call letters. And they gave us a 13 jersey. So we've always had this jersey. It was about Channel 13. Nothing against Stevie or, you know. Yeah. Who wore that?
A
Gabe. A bunch of people thought it was Gabe. They're like, it's funny that Dan always talks about Gabe when there's a jersey behind him.
B
So.
C
So we're gonna update it. We're gonna put a Diggs jersey right behind Dan.
B
No, we're gonna. We were talking about maybe doing some credentials too. Something fun to just kind of.
C
Yeah.
B
Liven up the space a bit. But. Yes. Thank you so much for watching, everyone. Glad to have the whole team back.
C
Feisty today.
B
I know.
A
I thought I'd get more support. I'm gonna be honest. Gonna be honest. I thought I had some good takes. I still stand.
B
No, they're good takes.
C
Yeah.
B
It's just that Dan loves being a contrarian.
A
No, I don't. That's the problem. It's. It's the.
C
Wait a minute. You don't.
A
Well, not all the time, but the contrarian is being like, teed him up. Everybody's being like, oh, like, again. I think the narrative of, like, Diggs doesn't have anything left, that he wasn't that good. And look at his numbers.
C
That's just a stupid take.
B
Yeah, that's.
C
Yeah, but that's. People say dumb stuff all the time, Josh.
A
Yes, people go to our comments.
C
Well, but now some of those are pretty good. No, that people say stuff like, you know, you'll see people like, josh Allen is trash. He's got this. Well, you're an idiot if you say that.
A
Yeah.
C
Mahomes isn't that good. Like, yeah, you can pick any player.
B
This is a system. Quarterback.
C
There's just stupid comments. Stefan Diggs is a really good player and now plays for Houston.
B
And the Bills still wanted to trade him.
C
And the Bills need help at wide receiver.
B
Correct. All of those things are true.
C
That's it.
B
D. All of the above. All right. For Dan and Mike. I'm Jenna. Thank you for watching. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe to the channel as well as share with any Bills fans that you know that would enjoy this stuff. And thank you again to Dave. All right, we will catch you next time here.
C
No, just look. The Bills traded every pick for the next six years to get a wide receiver this year. That'd be a good move, right?
B
They're going up to nine.
C
That's it.
B
Cash the check. All right, thanks for watching. We'll catch you next time here on Buffalo plus, presented by Connors and Ferris.
A
Buffalo plus, your interactive look at the week in football, brought to you by Connors and Ferris.
This episode delves into the aftermath of the blockbuster trade sending Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, analyzing its impact on the Buffalo Bills’ roster, the organization’s future, and interpersonal dynamics between Diggs, Josh Allen, and team management. The hosts also discuss who is under the most pressure now, the Bills’ draft and free agency outlook, and wrap up with a training camp update.
Timestamps: 00:15 – 09:41
“If he [Diggs] was still that guy, Stefon Diggs and Josh had the faith in him and they had the relationship, he'd be pounding on the table going, do not trade my guy 100%. I don't think there was any of that going on. I think he was ready for him to go.”
– Mike Catalana (C), [00:15]
Timestamps: 03:45 – 06:36
“Let's not act like…this guy was nothing. Diggs made the Bills cool.”
– Dan Fetes (A), [04:36]
Timestamps: 06:38 – 13:28
“I think it is a lazy take to look at his numbers in just stats…Three deep balls that Josh missed him on would have added to the numbers.”
– Dan Fetes (A), [10:00]
Timestamps: 17:40 – 22:38
“Josh Allen is the absolute alpha of this franchise…he played and wanted Stefon Diggs’ approval. He’s the only guy.”
– Mike Catalana (C), [19:34]
“I think for Josh, my opinion is he was just tired of it. And I think maybe he felt like he had to be on eggshells.”
– Jenna Cottrell (B), [17:57]
Timestamps: 29:17 – 31:34
“Right now it’s 70% on Beane and 15 on Josh and McDermott.”
– Mike Catalana (C), [29:25]
Timestamps: 31:42 – 35:23
“They’re going to draft a guy relatively early and they’re going to sign another veteran. Not replacing Diggs, but replacing his production.”
– Mike Catalana (C), [14:12]
Timestamps: 38:53 – 43:27
Timestamps: 43:27 – 45:09
On public reaction:
“The juice ain’t worth the squeeze anymore...catching 110 balls and 1,100 yards, that doesn’t grow on trees.” –Dan Fetes (A), [15:47]
On Stefon Diggs' public persona:
“Diggs is a diva wide receiver. He’s the modern-day diva wide receiver.” –Dan Fetes (A), [46:47]
On Diggs' impact:
“He became a star in Buffalo. A star player.” –Mike Catalana (C), [41:16]
On organizational logic:
“To your point, maybe [Bean] does feel that way, that he’s going to be, like, all in...I don’t think there’s little to no chance of that happening because [it’s] so costly.” –Mike Catalana (C), [38:36]
For more Bills coverage, analysis, and future updates, subscribe to Buffalo Plus and visit their Link Tree.