← Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills podcast
Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills podcast
Will Beane be Bold with Bills this off season?
00:45:43
Will Brandon Beane made big moves this off-season for Bills?
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A
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B
It's time for the Buffalo plus podcast. Now and again. Rolls on the move, lets it fly. Oh, digs. Oh, what a catch.
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C
All right. Welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Presented by Connors and Ferris, Mike Catalana, Dan Fates, I am Jenna Cottrell. As always, before we get started, please be sure to like, comment and most importantly, subscribe to the podcast if you enjoy our work. All right, guys, so much to talk about. Free agency approaching big decisions, big moves, possibly big trades. We'll get into that as well as the pressure on Brandon Bean. And also we're going to talk about the combine coming up. Just what we're most looking forward to as the guys get ready to head to indie. Mike, I always start with you. Where do you think the pressure is at in terms of on Brandon Bean? We'll start here this upcoming offseason because I feel like after the season ends it's a bit of a recap, you know, what, what went wrong for the team, but now it's full blown. Okay. There are big moves that need to be made and now is the time that they're talking about them.
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B
I think this is the most pressure on him he's had since he's been the team's general manager. Now, I'm not talking about pressure as if he's on the hot seat. People love to say the hot seat. Brandon Bean overall has done a phenomenal job with this franchise. He has put them in a position where every move they make matters. When you get started, sure, there are big moves you have to make and then you have to go from there and you got to develop and you all those things and he elevated this franchise. But then it gets to a certain point and you're at a danger point where you don't want to look like you've got this quarterback and you've plateaued as a franchise. You found out where you are and it's not good enough. Some of the moves you've tried to make have cost you some money and they haven't developed. He's got a lot of those plates. You guys are too young to remember the guys going out there, you know, to do the little shows and they put the plates spinning on the stick and they have to run plate to plate. Brandon Beans got a lot of plates spinning right now. He's got draft picks coming into the final years. He's got free agents that he picked. He's got players under contract. He's got to figure out what to do. It's the first time he's going to ever have to let go of really, really good players and make other moves. I think his draft picks have been underwhelming recently. I say this is the most pressure on taking a really good team and making them great that he's ever had with this team.
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D
No shock to any of our listeners and our subscribers. I disagree. There's never been more pressure than to find the franchise quarterback. Now finding Josh Allen and having the success that he's having buys you that window of time where you can do no wrong. That Brandon Bean has been the golden boy in Buffalo for quite some time. But I do agree with Mike that, that the sand is running out of the hourglass. And you talk about spinning plates. Shout out red panda. She does the, the cups on the unicycle during the halftime shows of the NBA games. So I do know what you're talking about with spinning plates. But I feel like that's where Bean is kind of like now you have to balance it all together because Mike, to your point, he hasn't been able to. He's got the toughest piece of the puzzle in, like he's built the inside of the puzzle and now he's trying to do the border. Like it's, it's crazy how, how hard that is to build a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle with the borders last. But that's what Bean's trying to do, is put those finishing touches on a defensive line, putting it on now a middle linebacker, and keeping some of those pieces around Jenna.
- [04:07]
B
Dan says, I disagree with you. And then he basically agrees with me.
- [04:12]
C
Yeah, I was actually thinking that as well. Well, here's my thought process. Taking from. Here's no, here's the thing. You guys make fun of me for being in the middle, but like, here she comes. If Dan's gonna always be the one that's saying not, I'm gonna be the one saying here's the thing. I feel like because Brandon being so early on knocked it out of the park for a franchise quarterback, then everything does Change. Now, there is the most pressure because coming in, when they drafted Josh Allen, it was like, they're going to take this shot. He's a project, all these things. But because of how good Allen is, now is where there is the real pressure. Because you've succeeded, you've done well in the playoffs, but you haven't been able to get over that hump. And now when you look at it, I mean, we talked about going into this past offseason last year, like, the Bills are right there, all of these things now, it does not feel that way now. It feels like there's a lot of teams in the afc, you look at the nfc, the talent on that side as well, where it's like, this is going to take some big moves because where the Bills are at and where they need to go. But because of how successful Brandon Bean was early on, drafting Josh Allen and what Allen has ascended to now, this is the most pressure.
- [05:22]
B
And I'll let Dan go make his argument. Jenna, you made the point there. Allen, increase the pressure. The great move of picking Allen only ramped up the pressure because now you look at, you go, oh, boy, you got Josh Allen. You've had a really good roster, your own creation. He's done a lot of really good things. But now it's like, why can't you be better than the Bengals? Why can't you be better than the Chiefs? You've got the quarterback. You've had the roster. It's that last. I don't know, Dan, what, 10%, 15%, whatever number it is you want to put on it to take you over the top. It's not like saying, you know, the jets are saying, we got a roster, we don't have a quarterback. Okay, that's. That's really tough. Yeah, the Bills have the quarterback, so I think the pressure's on him.
- [06:13]
C
I. I also think what adds into it is the fact that the Bills consistently seem like they've gotten better every season. And last year, the way this past season ended with the team being so flat, it makes you question, okay, did they get better? Did they regress? Did Ken Dorsey do enough? Did they make enough adjustments? Did they have enough talent? And I think it makes you question so much. Why are you laughing?
- [06:38]
B
Because we haven't let him talk and it's killing him.
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D
No, no, it's because I'm trying to make sure that I don't say the.
- [06:44]
C
Same thing Mike says, but in your own voice.
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D
Yeah, I'm trying to make sure I make my point without giving credence to Mike's points. So that. That's, like.
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C
It seems like it's a challenge.
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B
Just come over, Come over.
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D
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Jenna's always on your side. I'm always down in the bottom of this screen fighting for my life over down here. It's kind of like you pulled the rabbit out of your hat, and everybody's waiting for the next act as a magician. So you guys are just mean. Guys are just mean today. Just trying to walk you through this. Another metaphor here. Yeah. It's just one of those things where you bought time with Josh, and I do understand what you're talking about, that, like, you've raised the expectations when you've drafted Josh and when you become a Super bowl contender, the bar is raised to now get over the hump. I understand all of those things, but some of this also falls on not all being. And I know that's. That's the dumb thing, but, like, also.
- [07:54]
B
Like, no, you're right.
- [07:55]
D
Whether it is like, he talks about draft, develop, resign, like, some players haven't developed. And because. And like this. It is always this hindsight is 2020 of like, boy, this guy didn't pan out, or, boy, Cody Ford wasn't good. Because at times, we looked at it at the time and said, cody Ford's not bad in the second round. Like, that wasn't a bad. A bad pick. So some of these things are out of beans control, which is where I don't think all of the weight and pressure is on him, because if I'm Brandon Bean. And again, we did kind of say that, you know, at his end of the year press conference, was kind of defensive, was kind of like, hey, it's just one game. You know, we never got blown out of the gym. You know, we won 13 games. All these things. It's almost like he's trying to puff up his chest and be like, well, guys, look at what I. Look at what I brought in. They need to perform better. So I think it's not. Jenna. It's not a little bit of both. But I think that Bean is under more. It's still harder to find that franchise quarterback than it is to finish the other pieces around him.
- [08:56]
B
I will agree with that. Because you want to start. We say it all the time. You start the year with 17. I mean, okay, people can nitpick at his game all you want. He's a great player, and you start out the year with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
- [09:09]
D
Yeah.
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B
But there are things and look, I don't blame it 100% on him. It's like, you know, there is nothing that's 100. I think, you know, McDermott under immense pressure this year. Ken Dorsey's under immense pressure, Leslie Frazier, all of them. And theirs is a little different. Honestly, I think the Pula family feels very comfortable with Brandon Bean as their general manager. Right. I mean, I don't. I'm not talking about that kind of pressure. I don't think he's going anywhere. I think there'd be a lot of teams lining up to get Brandon Bean if he was on the open market. Okay, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying is he set the bar high. They have, but there's fault all around. I mean, look, Sean McDermott has to be better. I mean, whatever blame you want to attach to him for decision making during the game, for coaching up the coaches, whatever it happens to be for keeping Ken Dorsey and then to Dorsey. But then you'd say, well, how much of that is on the offensive line, coach, or on the players on the O line or players themselves. So it does get spread around. I'm just saying is with the big money and the big, you know, responsibility comes the big pressure. And I think he knows it, too. And that's why Jenna and Dan. I think Brandon Bean is a. Is a little freed up this year because he's going to make some moves that we know he's like, like Jordan Poyer going is huge for this franchise. Leaving.
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C
Yeah.
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B
And I think that's happening, but I think in some ways it frees you up a little bit, goes, fellas, we've tried it a few years with everybody being back. We're going to make some moves. And I think he's got something big up his sleeve this year. That may not look great all in right away, but I think it could pay off for them long term.
- [10:54]
C
Well, I think because of just how the season ended, there is so much more flexibility because it just does feel like you're like, all right there. There are also big decisions that have to be made, but at the same point, like, they were not good enough. And you can talk about Brandon Bean saying that that was the only time they got blown out of the gym and all that stuff, but they were not there. And I think because of that and how it is a business, let's be real, I think that gave. Maybe, maybe it made more. Maybe it made it clear the decisions that need to be made going forward in terms of players and Personnel.
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D
How about a team that didn't have any cap space, couldn't make a move, was, you know, hampered, they're going to have to rebuild. And again, some of this is. Is a joke and a cliche, but how about the Chiefs trading Tyree Kill last offseason?
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B
Yeah.
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D
And everybody going now, not sorry. Some people going, boy, that division is up for grabs. And how is Patrick Mahomes going to fare without Tyree Kill and all of these things? And, you know, they blamed it on the salary cap, which is comical because we all know it's not real. And look at how well it worked out because they reinvested in the offensive line and that really panned out. So I'm with you, Mike. That, like, there could be some move that in the immediacy of it, we go, what are they doing? But we could look back in January or next offseason and go, man, that move really freed this up, really allowed this to happen, allowed that to. To. To kind of fall into place and that we may not see it right away. So I agree. I, again, I don't think that they're these underdogs like the Chiefs said they were, which is hysterical. You know, I know, Jenna, how much you love Travis Kelce and how much you love when he opens his mouth and talks. It's your favorite thing. But I think that, that we could be looking at some type of move like that, despite the fact that Brandon Bean says, oh, our. Our big off season move is Von Miller. He said before last, last year, before signing Von Miller, he said, oh, we're not going to make any big signings. No. No big raging splashes. And then found 120 million for Vaughn. So I agree. I'm like, I think a move happens.
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C
That's a really interesting point, Dan, because I think so much of it is like, what are they doing right now? How does that affect the team? But you're right, like the Tyree Kill thing, initially it was like, what are the Chiefs doing? How are they going to be able to be as explosive and all that's Mike. I never thought about it like that, honestly.
- [13:22]
B
Yeah, well, here's the one. I think this is sort of like the. The bit of the third rail kind of conversation that sometimes people start looking at stuff and then going, they wouldn't do anything. And the one I'm talking about is Stefan Diggs. And I don't think Diggs is going anywhere, mainly because he's not in that position like Hill was with the end of his contract going into the Final year. Let's just say for argument's sake, and don't freak out Bills fans that the Bills were thinking about dealing digs. Right. Say they were the cap hit while we can talk about it's not real.
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D
Correct.
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B
Well, once you've made the move and set up a contract, then that part of it does become real. And you're like, wait a minute, we're gonna buy a crazy amount of dead cap space right now to trade one of our best players? I don't think that's happened now. Could that happen in a year? Yeah, but there are certain ones that it's almost like you're blowing up your ability to make other moves, to make one. And the only reason I bring that up is because we've seen all the stuff with his brother, and he's been so sort of a little off the reservation during the off season so far. I think maybe he's just, you know, was frustrated at the end of the year. I think Diggs will be fine. That's not the move I'm talking about. That's not. I'm, I'm. I'm talking about Ed Oliver. Yeah. I think that's a move. They so badly wanted that to work out so badly. And I don't think it's worked out to the point that you're going to go, here you go, Ed, I'm going to sign you to this deal. Then the question is, do you feel like you did with Edmonds, where you just let the final year play out, which could happen, But I think with the right trading partner to the right team, say a team like the Houston Texans who are looking to rebuild and he's a Houston guy, and you make a deal with them and they got a lot of draft picks. Like, could that be the kind of move that initially you're like, this D line struggles already and now you're trading at Oliver? I'm. I'm not 100% certain that he lines up for them next year because of the contract.
- [15:39]
C
So for you, like, do you have concerns, though, in terms of the defensive line just because it has struggled so much? Well, what do you think they would do then? Like, is it going to the well of the draft again, or is it them bringing in a free agent or. It seems like if it were the, the Texans route, it would be more draft pick.
- [15:57]
B
Yeah, I'm saying this, and there's always, I mean, again, you may be taking one step back to hopefully take two steps forward. This is why I say there are times you have to make some moves because of other ones. And this, this would be to me, this would coincide with maybe signing Tremaine Edmonds because you're going to value where he is going forward for you. And I have no idea if he would be able to pull off this kind of move. Dan, my point is like if I'm Brandon Bean, I have taken the somewhat passive route on some of this stuff. Resign my own guys, sit back fifth year option on guys go that way. Now I'm going to be a. I think I might be a little more aggressive this offseason and say I don't like this for our long term. If I've got a move to make and I don't know what they would get, I think I might make the move.
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D
You hear it more in hockey locker rooms and baseball clubhouses like a shaking up the team. Like you kind of, you kind of talk about like hey boy, trading this guy really woke us all up. Like we all got a little too comfortable. We all, you know, things like that. And going back to Mike's point, Stefan Diggs is not being traded. While I am the biggest proponent of the salary cap isn't real. Dead cap is very real. That is very real money. That, that, that has consequences to it. So I, I don't see that's happening. Ed Oliver is an interesting one in the same boat as again these are projections. Don't freak out anything like that. But like do they see what Gabe Davis did and thought you know what? We don't really love what we saw this year. And could they find a partner instead of re signing him long term because he's entering in the final year of his deal and are you ready to sink big money and into Gabe like the differences.
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B
The difference is with Gabe, he's in the final year of a deal as a what, fourth round draft pick.
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D
Correct.
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B
Ed was a top 10 pick.
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D
Correct.
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B
Getting that fifth year option. So his number is big this year.
- [17:58]
D
Yep, good point.
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B
So that, that would be the, the only thing. I mean there are some guys with big numbers and the out on them. Jermaine Tr. Davius White has got a big number this year.
- [18:10]
C
Yeah.
- [18:11]
B
You know, and do they look again, they look to the future, but there are some moves I think would be difficult to make and maybe not great for your team in that way. But yeah, the Gabe one is interesting too because he'll certainly, maybe just because of the circumstance, get the opportunity to prove it again this year. But in very normal circumstances a guy who was ascending like Gabe Jenna, he would have Had a new deal, I think.
- [18:37]
C
Yeah.
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B
If he would have ascended this year, they would be signing him right now.
- [18:41]
C
I agree. I want to go back to the Ed Oliver point.
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B
Yeah.
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C
And I'm trying to figure out the way to phrase this, but I feel like last year we talked about what the team was going to do with Tremaine Edmonds. Do they get rid of them? Like, like how do they let his contract play out? Are they going to resign him? But I feel like Tremaine really did have a great this past season. He was very impactful on the field. And my worry, Mike, is that if you were to trade at Oliver now, like, I'm surprised how much my, my like and like how much I believe in Tremaine Edmonds being a long term piece of this team after just this past season.
- [19:20]
B
Right.
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C
So I'm curious if you feel like, like, do you have that concern with Ed maybe? You know what I mean? Because both those guys are first round draft picks and it's like the, the development that we've seen from, from Tremaine in this last season, it's like, wow, could the Bills be walking away from a piece that could be as impactful as a guy like Tremaine is?
- [19:40]
B
Yeah, I, I do. And I, I think they, I think they have been. I don't even know if Dan the word would be satisfied. I think they're encouraged by Tremaine. Doesn't mean they're going to sign him. He could get a lot of money somewhere else.
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C
I agree.
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B
And they haven't been able. And Dan's point is a good one. They have not been able to come to a deal yet. Maybe it's going to take sort of getting a little closer, finding out what's out there for him and then trying to make a deal. I just think, I don't know what the next four or five years projects for Ed Oliver on that D line. And Dan, that might also mean they can't afford to do it now. The deal wouldn't be right and they would be trying to fill that spot. So they let it play out. You let them walk in free agency in a year and you, you know, put it towards whatever compensatory picks. They can always do that. But I just think, I think that's the kind of move you make and you can be aggressive and say we're switching it up here because we think it might be a little step back. But for the. And when I say long, long term in the NFL is like three years, two years, it's not 10. Yeah, that they make a deal. Any chance, Dan, you with me or no?
- [20:50]
D
Yeah, I'm with you because, Jenna, what were you talking about? There's 16 some odd million over the cap as of right now. 4.
- [20:57]
C
Ish. Yeah, follow.
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D
You know, if that's for following our good friend and Buffalo, plus guest extraordinaire, Mike Giard.
- [21:06]
C
Mike Grd.
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D
Grd. Yeah, I can see that being a move. And again, and maybe, maybe you're able to trade Epanessa or something like that. And again, I'm talking small fish.
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B
I don't think those are the moves you make, Mike.
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D
I'm talking about starting over almost on the defensive line. Like, I'm talking about ripping up the pages and starting over, shipping out Ed Oliver, getting rid of some of those guys. Like for so long it was, you know, Jerry Hughes and these guys. Like this first attempt at retooling the defensive line hasn't really panned out. So maybe you make a move like Ed Oliver, you make another move with, with somebody else and you start over from, from scratch. I, I, I can see your side, Mike.
- [21:56]
C
It's interesting because I feel like you look at, you're like, wow, if they got rid of Ed, like, how much pressure, like, how bad would the line get? And then you're like, well, they didn't really generate that much pressure aside from Von Miller. Like we all thought when, I mean, I thought when Jerry Hughes walked to be like, oh, that, that was like, what a great player. He meant so much Buffalo in terms of like the personal connection. But then I'm like, they missed Jerry Hughes's production as well, which I think says not great things about how the defensive line came along. Well, Dan, what do you think? Do you think Mike talked about a trade? What do you think?
- [22:30]
D
Yeah, I think you add, I think they go and make a splash in, in free agency by adding another weapon for Josh Allen. And whether that's, again, maybe you're moving Gabe Davis, maybe to, to find a true number two. Like I said, T. Higgins has been rumored to be in the market. He's entering the final year of his contract.
- [22:54]
B
Would the Bengals trade him to the Bills?
- [22:57]
D
Yeah, why not?
- [22:59]
C
While they're get a problem.
- [23:02]
B
I don't know. Would they?
- [23:05]
C
That's fair. I don't know if they would. I wouldn't, I wouldn't be like, yeah.
- [23:09]
D
This isn't a Yankees Red Sox deal.
- [23:11]
B
No, but there's, I mean, a few. Yeah, yeah. I don't know, would they, would they much rather trade them to Green Bay? Than trade him to Buffalo.
- [23:20]
D
He's T. Higgins. He's not Aaron Rodgers. Where you're like, you're terrified to have to play him twice a year.
- [23:26]
B
I don't know. I don't know.
- [23:27]
D
Not trading them in his. They're not trading.
- [23:29]
C
It also says a lot.
- [23:30]
D
They're not trading them to the Ravens like I do.
- [23:33]
C
I actually, I feel like that would say kind of a. That would be interesting for the Bengals to feel comfortable with that.
- [23:40]
D
Well, how about this for you too? T. Higgins was the guy that I had heard the Bills were interested in heading into his draft.
- [23:51]
B
Yep.
- [23:51]
D
And then he was. Had a horrendous pro day, and the Bills got very turned off by his pro day. That off season. They end up making the move for Stefan Diggs.
- [24:00]
B
Yeah.
- [24:00]
D
And. And so that was kind of. Kind of funny that, like now all of a sudden, T. Higgins. Big, tall, physical wide receiver. Something they don't have on their team right now.
- [24:11]
C
That's fair.
- [24:12]
D
Could be an interesting target or a guy like Hunter Renfro. More of a. A fill in slot guy. Battled some injuries, but kind of is. Can do a lot of the things that Cole Beasley did when Cole Beasley was Cole Beasley. Like, very shifty, great at beating zones. All of those things. Smart slot wide receiver, which I think maybe we realize this year, more than in previous years, how important that is for the Bills offense and for Josh Allen. So again, I don't know. Not a capologist. Would have to get Mike, your nephew in to figure out how all these numbers work. We'd have to get Garrett on the pod. But it would be interesting to see a move being made to find a more proven guy that can help this team sooner rather than developing Khalil Shakir and kind of that phase.
- [25:05]
B
Yeah. And Janet, Dan's making a good point. Sometimes I've seen people go, oh, look at the list of free agents. Stop with the free agents. Yes, free agents is great. But so there's guys who are under contract. Look at all the wide receiver moves that have been made, including the Bills with Diggs. It's a lot of trades, a lot of teams going. And the Bengals may be in that spot because they're even younger at their number one with Jamar Chase, who's phenomenal.
- [25:30]
C
Yeah.
- [25:31]
B
That they may be saying paying 2 is tough. Do we reload? Do we go younger in that position? You know, do we do that? So there's always trades to be made. A.J. brown was a trade. Tyreek Hill was a trade. Like all these guys were Trades for top players. So that's why I say, and. And I do trust being in that. I mean, he made. The trade he made was a pretty good one. I, you can. I know what Minnesota got. But the part that everybody forgets about that is Jefferson was not thought of that highly. Slid down the board and then Howie made an idiotic move. That pick would have. Should have gone right before the Vikings pick any.
- [26:12]
D
Like, it was all in the script.
- [26:13]
B
Script. It was in the NFL script. That's right.
- [26:15]
D
For Justin Jefferson.
- [26:17]
B
Yeah.
- [26:18]
D
And at that time, the Eagles, they messed it up.
- [26:20]
B
They were like, no, no, they read the script. Part of the script. The script was you make this dumb move and then eventually you're going to get to the super bowl. And they're like, okay, Jalen Rager, that's the guy. And then, you know what? Later, just send him to Minnesota anyhow, because he was supposed to go there. So we'll make the deal.
- [26:38]
C
Oh, my gosh.
- [26:39]
B
Yeah. No, I'm looking for the script.
- [26:41]
C
Yeah. Where's this. When's the script come out for the 2023 season?
- [26:45]
B
Oh, it's out already. Oh, it's out. Oh, it's interesting. Oh, next podcast, I'll tell you all about it.
- [26:51]
C
Are we going to Vegas? Okay. Works for me in terms of a move I think they make. I, I think. And actually, Mike Giardi talked about this of NFL Network, but I do think that they invest in Tremaine Edmonds. I think where he's coming from, how much he, He's a fabric of your defense and especially with the expectations that they move on from Jordan Poyer, it feels like without having the Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde connection, maybe it's now them investing in, you know, having Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmonds and that kind of being the, the fabric of your defense and kind of the, the stability piece and that you can build around. But I think that Edmonds has, you know, we've, we've wanted to see him be outright that first round draft pick, you know, when he was coming out. I think it's taken some time for him to develop, but I mean, I think you look at the season he had this past year and it says a lot. And look, he's, he's going to earn a lot of money and maybe he wants to go for more money and maybe that's not with the Bills, but just the conversations that we've had with him throughout the, the season. It seemed like he wanted to be in Buffalo and to stay in Buffalo. So that's why I expect with his age, coupled with his experience with him wanting to be in Buffalo. I'm not saying he takes a hometown discount or anything like that, but I think there's an ability for the Bills to work with Edmonds to make it. You know, it's still going to be a massive contract, but maybe more fluid in terms of how it hits under the cap.
- [28:26]
B
This, by the way, this is very anecdotal here, but I, I don't know which one of you guys shot. It was a home game against the Patriots and I was looking for some video of Tremaine and he chased down Mack Jones and comically, it was like you looked at this guy and thought, oh my God, he is so big and fast and the arms and Mac Jones was like, you know, he had no chance. He ended up dumping it, whatever it was. And I just look at, I still. And maybe that's what they're stuck with, Dan. The potential that they see at some point gets unlocked. I don't know, maybe they've seen a little of it, but I just, I still think there's something much more there with him that maybe they're afraid to let go and, and they'll pay him. No, no, no. Okay, that's right.
- [29:19]
D
Like I, I, I understand. And like I said, if they were to, I think if something were to happen with Tremaine, if Tremaine stays in Buffalo, it is based off within this two week window, they would tag him and try and find some long term deal. I mean, that's the only way I can see this, really.
- [29:35]
B
I can't see him using the tag.
- [29:36]
C
Though, tagging him either.
- [29:38]
B
That is where the cap is real. Because you, you have to set that money. What did we say it was, Jeff? $21 million.
- [29:48]
D
So you can, you can tag them to give you the time to rework the long term, to finalize the long term deal.
- [29:59]
B
Yeah, but you have to clear the space in order to tag them, right? They don't have the space at the moment. They can do it. Yeah, yes, they can do it. But that would be, that would be a, that would be really interesting if you thought about it, because Dan makes the point that they've had all this time to do a deal, including give them the fifth year option, and they haven't. And now you're going to need to buy the extra time at the end. I don't know. I don't know. Let me ask you real quick, you guys, if we get to free agency tampering period, when no deal is done. What's the chances that we get to that point if there's no deal done that Tremaine Edmonds is back? Jenna, if they get to that point.
- [30:40]
C
I would say pretty small. I would say, like, maybe 15%. Just because I feel like. I mean, I feel like you. You talk so much about it and like, to get to that window. I don't know, maybe that's totally wrong, but I usually feel like you want to get a guy wrapped up before then, and if you don't, it's like, well, then you're opening yourself up to so many other options. What?
- [31:07]
B
You.
- [31:08]
D
You just proved my point on why he's not coming back.
- [31:11]
B
They.
- [31:12]
D
They've had all this time to get something done, and now against the clock, I, I just don't see.
- [31:18]
B
Well, they still have a few weeks on.
- [31:20]
C
I was gonna say they still have a few weeks, and that doesn't mean that conversations haven't been happening. And let's be real men more than anything.
- [31:30]
D
Well, and my point was that's. That's a podcast for another time. But my, My. My point is, is the fact is, you talk about, like, when's that legal tampering, period? I think his agents already, legally, illegally, whatever, talking and getting. Getting prices of what other teams are willing to pay. And I think that if has gotten this far, he will want to see what legitimate offers come in. And once I think he sees that again, I. I've already put it at 0% that he's returned. I've already got the coffee or the dinner, whatever I have with both you guys from the last pod. And every day that passes, I just feel better and better thinking that Tremaine Edmonds isn't coming back.
- [32:16]
C
Okay.
- [32:17]
B
All right.
- [32:17]
C
I love confidence, honestly, like, I, I really do.
- [32:23]
B
He does. He has it.
- [32:24]
C
Yeah, no, he does.
- [32:25]
D
Well, like, when he said, when people.
- [32:27]
C
Are like, is Danishtick? I'm like, no, that is Dan. Like, Dan is true.
- [32:30]
D
Like, well, like when you ride or die, when you've been the Jon Snow gif of him, like, facing off with just the sword and everybody's telling you Gabe Davis is going to be an all pro, and you just swing and. And you hit it like you got a little confidence. I've stepped up to the plate a couple times. I've. I've struck out. I've struck out. Oil changes will. Will be forever linked.
- [32:54]
C
But I, I, but, yeah, I get it. I see what you're saying. Yeah, I guess. I guess we will see. And I. That is true. Like, we are Getting closer to that, you know, free agency window and all that stuff opening. And that will say a lot. All right, I'm curious. You guys are going indie. What you are most looking forward to as the Bills, Brandon Bean, Sean McDermott, St. Elmos. That was not my answer. That was Dan's answer. Wow.
- [33:26]
B
St. Elmo's, the famous steakhouse. Everybody in the NFL goes very expensive. If anybody in corporate is listening, we will only charge back a portion to the company. But, yeah, that's always fun to go. It is, really. It's. We talk about this. It's where everybody in the league is. And geez, it's the first week of March, and free agency doesn't start TILL like, the third. Third week, and all the agents and coaches and GMs are there. Imagine if there would be conversations which could happen.
- [33:57]
D
Like, that would be illegal.
- [34:00]
B
That would be against. That would be against the rules. They wouldn't be able to do that. But I will say this. I'm. I. There's a lot of places they could go in the draft. It's so funny sometimes when you go and, you know, they need a quarterback. We knew they were drafting a quarterback. Okay, that one is something.
- [34:16]
C
Yeah.
- [34:16]
B
There's a lot of positions they could be drafting this year. Right. I mean, and. And it's not like they have a ton of needs, but you could make an argument for almost. God, almost any position.
- [34:30]
C
I just think of how much stuff has changed. A year ago. Like a year ago, the Bills, they drafted a punter. You know what I mean? Like, things are just very different now where they're at.
- [34:41]
B
Yeah. I mean, you could. You could pick in the secondary. I know they went really high with a corner last year. I'll be interested to see, looking at somebody who can play safety for them, depending on what they decide to do. Linebacker could be in the mix. Again, not early. They're not picking a first or second round with a linebacker. But that type of player, depending on what they do at Tremaine. We obviously can't cut out the D line because they love to draft in the D line and offensive line. Absolutely. Offensive line, they're not drafting a quarterback. Certainly not. I don't think this team is in the position to draft a quarterback at any point.
- [35:18]
C
Yeah.
- [35:19]
B
I don't even think I'm taking a young quarterback now. I'm not. I have a young quarterback as the number one quarterback. You have a veteran backup, and then they move from there, and they could take it back later. Again, they've used enough. Enough resources on running backs, I don't see a high draft pick for that. So. But wide receiver? Absolutely. Tight end again, later kind of guy? Maybe, but maybe a free agent, but there's a lot of guys they could pick. But yeah, Dan, we're going to see a lot of that little talking going on.
- [35:53]
D
Last year I was in Indy and I remember being there and it was kind of, you're kind of there. And I remember being like, the roster is so good. Package picks move up to get one guy because the starters are all set and the backups are all set and. And what does it really matter? You know, this guy may not have that much of an impact. It's the same thing where I go. They could go any position but quarterback last year. They can go any position but quarterback this year. But it's for the opposite reason. Is because they could make an impact on this team. Yeah, I gotta tell you, it's crazy how much that changes.
- [36:32]
B
You never look, you don't. You should not be drafting for immediate need. On occasion, there is immediate need. Like we know we have to get this type of player, a wide receiver maybe could be because a guy you think can step right in, but that's when teams get in trouble. Everything changes so fast. Contracts, injuries. In this league, and it's cliched to say best player, but within reason it's best player. Because if that guy is there, you got to take them again. Outside of quarterback. It is funny. Like, you know, the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts to be the backup because they knew Carson Wentz always gets hurt and he ends up the total opposite. Yeah, they didn't think that was the case. They drafted him really high in the second round, which was alarming. And then he ends up being their guy. That's a rarity in this league. That. That wasn't their intention and it worked out way better than they thought it was. But sometimes you say, huh? Why is this team taking a corner? Because you always need corners. You just do. You never know what's going to happen in this league. So I think, I think again, it opens up your eyes a little bit to say, where are they going to go in this draft? And they need offensive line help, but it doesn't mean you're drafting a guy in the first round.
- [37:46]
C
That's fair.
- [37:46]
B
It just doesn't. Because you see the way these lines are built sometimes. And it doesn't always take first round picks.
- [37:51]
C
I. I am most looking forward to hearing from Brandon Bean.
- [37:54]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [37:55]
C
Because I feel like the tone in the last press Conference. I'm wondering if there's going to be a shift, if there's going to be. Maybe sometimes it gives insight as well, if. If there will be a little bit more tea leaves to read, per se. Because sometimes it is overwhelming. There are so many players at the combine. There are so many different, you know, position groups. There's different kinds of college backgrounds, there's different personalities. There's all these things that sometimes it's overwhelming. But talking to Bean, I feel like usually gives. You can glean some stuff from that and look, like we talked about. I mean, there are a lot of things up in terms of on the chopping block and things that need to be accomplished, and he's going to be very busy as. As well as Sha McDermott, but I'm curious just what he will sound like and what that will be like, because you're right, Mike, like, not to kind of circle back and frame this, but, like, there is a lot of pressure this year.
- [38:49]
B
Did you. Did you go all Dan on me? Did you say you can clean something from it?
- [38:55]
C
Glean.
- [38:56]
B
Oh, glean. Okay.
- [38:59]
C
G, L, E, A, N. Glean means, like, you can. Like, essentially, it's like reading the tea leaves.
- [39:05]
B
I know. I thought you went Dan and then we had to go back on the word. I mean, Dan, you have that on occasion.
- [39:13]
C
Yeah, yeah. Extract from various sources. The information is gleaned from Press club.
- [39:19]
B
Yes.
- [39:20]
C
What did you do? What was the one?
- [39:21]
D
Where else are you gonna get this knowledge that on the Buffalo plus podcast, your word of the day today is glean? And I want to hear. I'm not going to try and use it in a sentence. I want Brandon Bean to take. I want him to express some of the pressure he's feeling. I want him to say, we've got a hit this year. Like, we have. We haven't drafted well these last few years with some of these guys, we need it to be better. And I want him to take some accountability for the situation that they have put themselves in.
- [39:57]
B
We did. Interesting. Yeah, No, I was going to say it's interesting. It's hard to say when you have guys on your team. You don't want to be saying, we didn't draft well.
- [40:06]
D
Yeah, I understand.
- [40:07]
B
I mean, those guys are there until they're not there. And it's. It's. I know what you're saying. I think there's a way to phrase that we haven't gotten the production we've needed from the draft, you know, but we hear.
- [40:20]
D
We hear McDermott talk about, you Know, doesn't blame the players. It's, we got to be better. I got to be better. I got to coach them better. I got to prepare them better. All those things. I want to hear some of those similar sentiments from Bean, which we normally have always heard. Like, again, it was such an. An oddity. It was so uncharacteristic, in my opinion, to the end of the year press conference. I just went back and listened to it just the other day to kind of get some sound bites for Mike and I to be set for Indy. And him talking about, like, pretty much saying, like, where all of us were sitting here, you're listening to this, that this year feels this offseason doesn't feel as joyful, as confident going into this one. And Beans on the other end going, we're fine. We went 13 and 4. We're. Or 13 and 3. Like, we're a great team. We never got blown out. We're fine. And where everybody else is, like, we're not fine. And so I. I do get that sense. I want to see that shift back to being of. We got to get back to the drawing board. We.
- [41:22]
B
We.
- [41:22]
D
We now have the Bengals to compete with as much as we have the Chiefs, and they're the standard and in the division and in the conference.
- [41:29]
C
I think, yeah, it's almost like the this is fine meme. It's not as. You know what I mean, with the guy, the dog with the coffee cup. The flames are not that high. But I get what you're saying.
- [41:38]
B
And Janet, I will say this. It was still a little raw for those guys, and I think he was still feeling that Bengal. That Bengals game eviscerated this franchise for that time. I think they bounce back. I think they look, you take a breath and say, okay, yeah, this is what we got to do. In that moment, it was pissing them off that the Bengals were moving on. They had already lost to the Chiefs the two years before, and they're on that outside at the window, and it was. It hurt it way. It hurt the fans. Yeah, right.
- [42:12]
D
Right now you talk about more memes, more visual memes. Right now, Brandon Bean is Squidward inside looking out at SpongeBob and Patrick, and it's the Chiefs and Bengals. And, Mike, you want to know how raw it is. To some respects, the quote can get taken out of context, but Bean is very smart with every word that he chooses, especially in those press conferences saying, I don't want to suck as bad to get Jamar Chase. That's a shot. And it's not as insulting as maybe the words look, but because he did say they had some lean years and they had some bad years and things like that, but holy cow. To say I don't want to suck that bad is.
- [42:49]
B
Is.
- [42:50]
D
Is a pretty big shot at a team that kicked your ass about four days prior.
- [42:55]
B
I think it was frustration, Jenna. I think it was. So we'll see. I mean, Bean is. He's usually, he's usually a little different than that. But that one, that one really hurt because that was a full stop end of season. That wasn't a.13 seconds. That wasn't a. And it was a championship game and it was at home.
- [43:12]
D
At home.
- [43:13]
B
Yeah.
- [43:14]
C
You play so hard for home field advantage and that's your advantage.
- [43:17]
B
That's your result. So it's all right. Be a little angry, be a little aggressive.
- [43:22]
C
I honestly felt like it was like the team was like apathetic. Like, I felt like, like the players were just done.
- [43:29]
B
They were done. Yeah.
- [43:30]
C
I thought you said dumb. I don't think they're that all right. Well, this was an interesting episode, honestly.
- [43:39]
B
We've had a little time, you know.
- [43:40]
C
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We'll have plenty more updates. Mike and Dan will be in indie this upcoming week for the combine. I want to remind everyone to please be sure to like comment as well as subscribe if you enjoy what we do. And yeah, what should they comment?
- [43:58]
D
You want food recommendations for down in Florida?
- [44:03]
B
Vacation mode? Janice?
- [44:04]
C
Taking a few days. Pete's. Yeah, just a little quick, quick trip for some sunshine. Do you know how you have to pay for bags now? Like extra like I did? Never mind.
- [44:14]
B
Wait a minute. You have to pay for what you always have to pay for.
- [44:17]
C
I. I booked my flights through United and then it was like I have just my carry on but I have to check my carry on bag because of one of the tiers now that is offered by United. I didn't realize this when I booked it, but yeah.
- [44:32]
B
Oh, because you bought the cheapo ticket. Yeah, because, yeah, well, that's. Sometimes it includes that. Sometimes it does.
- [44:38]
C
That's why I thought it just included like your normal care like I had.
- [44:42]
D
I fly with Catalan. I just get first class. So I don't.
- [44:45]
B
That's it. It's first.
- [44:46]
C
Damn.
- [44:47]
D
I've never flake class Catalana.
- [44:50]
B
Look at that.
- [44:50]
D
Just giving up this first class seat for me.
- [44:53]
B
I told Jenna next year we have a flight and I get put in first class. I. I will let her see where I'm gonna sit.
- [45:00]
C
Savage.
- [45:01]
D
It's funnier. The second time.
- [45:04]
C
First class to London. I will. Would you get first class to London?
- [45:09]
B
I'll try. That's tough. That is tough. Yeah. Usually you get from, like, you know, Chicago to Rochester. It's nice, but it ain't exactly London.
- [45:19]
C
Yeah.
- [45:20]
B
Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna work on it.
- [45:23]
C
All right. Thanks for joining us, everyone. We will catch you next time. For Mike and Dan, I am Jenna. Thanks for listening to Buffalo. I already said, like, comment. Subscribe. I already said that. Okay, fine. I'll triple down. Do it. Cowards. No, I'm kidding. All right, bye, everyone. We need to go.