Buffalo Plus Podcast – May 7, 2024

Episode: "WHY Chase Claypool? The Buffalo Bills' CURRENT WR room and MIKE GIARDI on the 'new' look Patriots"

Host(s): Mike Catalana, Dan Fetes (Jenna Cottrell on vacation)
Guest: Mike Giardi (Boston Sports Journal, former NFL Network)
Main Themes:

• Dissecting the Buffalo Bills' wide receiver (WR) room and the low-risk signing of Chase Claypool
• Early expectations for rookie WR Keon Coleman
• Outlook on the "new" New England Patriots and AFC East offenses
• The Tom Brady Roast & Bill Belichick's future

Episode Overview

This roundtable episode focuses on the Buffalo Bills' evolving wide receiver group after the addition of Chase Claypool, expectations for rookie Keon Coleman, and broader AFC East positional battles. The show features deep-dive analysis from the hosts and special guest Mike Giardi, with distinctive insights into Bills-Patriots team-building philosophies, roster challenges, and upcoming season storylines. The episode balances measured critique with fan engagement, humor, and candid football talk.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Chase Claypool Signing — Is it Meaningful?

Timestamps: 07:19–15:34, 49:01–51:23

• Low-Risk Depth:

  • Dan: "I'm not going to get upset about it because I think it's irrelevant...as of right now, he's a camp body." (07:39)
  • Mike: "You sign him in May as the 85th player on the roster...I don't think [he is] anywhere close to cracking a 53-man roster." (08:05)

• Culture Fit Questions:

  • Dan: "I don't think he's necessarily the right fit in the culture…But I don't think it's going to matter because I don't think he's going to be around." (08:14)
  • Mike points out Claypool's previous opportunities haven’t worked "in three totally different ways: Pittsburgh was good, solid coach. Chicago is young, kind of a mess. Miami is loaded with offensive skill guys. It hasn't worked in any of them." (13:38)

• No-Risk Move, But Telling:

  • Dan: "My frustration...is that you have put yourself into this situation where now you need to hit on a flyer." (10:46)
  • Mike acknowledges, "He's still relatively young as a player and it's of no risk." (09:45)

• Special Teams & Kickoff Rule Changes:

  • Discussion on how new kickoff rules could impact roster construction, perhaps favoring "bigger guys" or specialist returners – uncertainty prevails. (49:17)

2. Keon Coleman: Buzz, Expectations, and Rawness

Timestamps: 01:56–07:17

• Viral Personality & Early Hype:

  • Dan: "He's become a darling...It is refreshing. It is fun. Just hope it all works out." (02:22)
  • Mike: "Be prepared for that too. He's young...That's the adjustment." (04:32)

• Big Traits, Big Learning Curve:

  • Dan: "He didn't really run routes...My college roommate text me and he goes, Dan, you wanted somebody that was elite at something. You got your guy...I think Keon has a very high upside." (04:47–05:16)
  • Mike: "Which also means he's got a lot to learn." (06:03)

• Patience Required:

  • "We all need patience with him and Josh will know that too." (07:05)

3. The Bills’ Wide Receiver Room – Still Question Marks

Timestamps: 11:29–15:16, 51:01–54:00

• Roster Uncertainty:

  • Significant competition for "maybe that fifth WR spot." Justin Shorter could surprise at camp. (14:07)
  • The group is unsettled and "I do believe the Bills all preseason are still going to be looking for receiver[s], and teams—you know, players get cut." (15:16)

• Remaining Free Agency Opportunities:

  • Noted Odell Beckham Jr. to Miami and pondering what could have been in Buffalo. (11:29)

4. Patriots Preview with Mike Giardi

Timestamps: 16:48–32:24

• Diggs Trade: Culture Over Talent?

  • Catalana: "Can you make the case football wise to move on from Diggs now?"
  • Giardi: "Yeah...because it's not the football stuff. It's the stuff behind the scenes that clearly they grew tired of...we just proved to ourselves our quarterback's good enough to elevate." (17:46)

• Josh Allen's Influence:

  • Allen was looped in on the Diggs trade and likely didn't push back hard: "I don't think there was...a lot of pushback from Allen." (19:19)
  • Giardi: "If Josh had put his foot down, I think Brandon would have had to swallow hard and say, all right, we'll take it for another year, but if it goes sideways, you got to be the bad cop now." (19:46)

• Patriots’ and Bills' Draft Moves:

  • Giardi was at first stunned Bills let Kansas City take Xavier Worthy: "I can just see it all now...it's January, it's a playoff game, he sneaks by one of your corners, and it's 80 yards to the house..." (20:50)
  • Ultimately, Giardi agrees with the Bills' board-based approach.

• Drake Maye & WR Upgrades:

  • Patriots will give rookie snapshots at minicamp; Giardi sees parallels to Josh Allen’s development path: "If I have a blueprint for Drake Maye…that’s the plan." (22:26–24:09)
  • WR room still bottom-tier ("I can find that is worse than [the Bills] is probably New England"), but double-dipping Polk and Baker raises the floor. (30:04)
  • "They'll put together a room that raises the floor...I don’t know what the ceiling is...[but] long-term, you hope they all grow together." (32:24)

5. Quarterbacks "Making" Receivers? KC & Buffalo Parallels

Timestamps: 33:22–36:16

• QBs Bump Talent, But...

  • Giardi: "There's a bump, but I don’t know that it's as high a percentage of bump as people would like...look at Kansas City this past year, right? Mahomes is the best...Did he make MVS any good? Was he still dropping balls?" (34:00)

• Chiefs As Blueprint, But Don't Overapply:

  • "Everybody's like, well, the Chiefs did it this way. The Baltimore game's a good example. They punted the ball every time in the second half...their defense shut down the Ravens." (34:48)

6. AFC East Offensive Rankings & Playoff Outlook

Timestamps: 54:46–57:47, 57:51–60:32

• AFC East Offenses:

  • Patriots a clear fourth; Jets unknown due to Rodgers; Dolphins have the best skill guys but trust in Allen + Bills' infrastructure keeps them atop for now.
  • "Miami has better skill position players...But they got issues and they have Tua. I’ll still take Josh..." (55:14)

• Realistic Bills Expectations:

  • "I still think they're right there to win the division, that's the first thing. And I think it's going to be tight...Eleven wins wins the division." (58:32)
  • Dan: "They're going to slide under the radar obviously this year...But I still expect them to win the division partly because they've done it." (59:36)
  • Playoff advancement (vs. KC): "We'll get to that later in the year..." (57:51)
  • "Get yourself there and then we'll see where we are. So yes, I still think they're that contender but there's a lot of questions to be answered." (60:31)

7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |--------|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 07:39 | Dan | "I'm not going to get upset about it because I think [the Claypool signing] is irrelevant." | | 10:46 | Dan | "You have put yourself into this situation where now you need to hit on a flyer." | | 13:38 | Mike | "It hasn't worked in any of them [PIT, CHI, MIA]." | | 19:46 | Giardi | "If Josh [Allen] had put his foot down, I think Brandon [Bean] would have had to swallow hard... but if it goes sideways, you got to be the bad cop now." | | 34:00 | Giardi | "There's a bump [from elite QBs], but...look at Kansas City this past year...Did Pat make MVS any good? Was he still dropping balls?" | | 55:14 | Mike | "Miami has better skill position players than the Bills...But they got issues and they have Tua. I'll still take Josh." | | 58:32 | Mike | "I still think they're right there to win the division...Eleven wins wins the division." |

8. Lighter Moments & Culture Talk

Timestamps: 41:01–47:05

• Brady Roast:

  • Giardi: "The very definition of the roast is the line is here and you got to go right through the line. Like, there's nothing…off limits." (41:01)
  • Belichick's appearance—praised for his non-crass, but sharp, shots: "He definitely hears all the things that have been said...and Bill went, 'Oh, Danny's up here. Let me just zip him.'" (43:52)

• Belichick Coaching Future:

  • General consensus: unlikely to coach in 2025 due to age and lack of succession planning. (44:11–46:39)

Listener Q&A and Comments

Timestamps: 49:01–61:07

• Roster Predictions:
  • Likely five WRs to dress, 2-3 more on practice squad.
• Joe Brady Offense Outlook:
  • Still a mystery; don't assume run-heavy approach remains (52:13–53:08).
• Curtis Samuel's Role:
  • "I think there are things he can do that they've looked for. Look, he's a better football player than Isaiah McKenzie. I don't think he's a gadget guy. I think he's a guy." (53:50)
• Fans’ Realistic Expectations:
  • Bills remain contenders but with slimmer margins; AFC heating up with Cincy, Baltimore, Houston, and more.

Conclusion

This episode blends insider insight, measured skepticism, and fan-focused discussion about a critical transition for the Buffalo Bills' offense—especially at wide receiver. The Claypool signing is seen as a minimal-risk flyer, Keon Coleman's upside and learning curve are tracked, and wider questions on the AFC East and playoff paths make for lively, informed debate. Humor, honesty, and unvarnished opinions—plus a fun foray into Patriots and Roast culture—underscore why the Buffalo Plus team stands out in Bills coverage.