Latest / Sports Avenue Twisted Podcast / Episode 59 feat. Justin Siejak - Recapping the Buffalo Bills Season, Trade Deadline, and Upcoming Schedule

Transcript

Episode 59 feat. Justin Siejak - Recapping the Buffalo Bills Season, Trade Deadline, and Upcoming Schedule · Sports Avenue Twisted Podcast

0:02
The Bills make me wanna kick your heels up and throw your
0:06
hands up and throw your hair back inside.
0:09
Come on, now. The bills are making it happen.
0:11
Now stand up now. Come on and shout.
0:15
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shout it right now, baby.
0:22
Come on, come on, Come on and shout, Yeah.
0:29
Welcome to another edition of the Sports Ave.
0:32
Twisted podcast. It's been a while since we did
0:34
any recordings right now, but we do have a special guest in here.
0:38
And he did come in another episode, but however we lost his
0:44
audio and it's become the lost tapes.
0:46
And the returning guest is Justice C Jack, the producer of
0:50
of the News for Buffalo Station. Justin, welcome back.
0:56
Tell tell everybody else what you do besides the production of
1:00
the News for Buffalo and and talk about your upcoming
1:03
podcasts. Yeah, what's up, folks?
1:06
Thanks for having me back from glad to talk ball.
1:08
I'm always glad to talk ball. We're in, what, week 10 already,
1:11
so a lot has happened, a lot to talk about.
1:14
Yeah, I'm producer for News 4I do our regular broadcasts and
1:19
also our Sports Plus show that airs at 10:30 on Sunday nights
1:22
after Bills games. So you can always checks out
1:24
there. And yeah, I've got a podcast
1:27
coming up probably this next coming week.
1:29
So I'll have more on that on my page.
1:31
We can touch on that later. That's cool, man.
1:34
Congrats on that and it's great. It's great.
1:37
No problem, man. It's great to have you back.
1:40
You know, like you said, it's week 10.
1:42
There's so much to talk about with the Bills.
1:44
You know, it's kind of, you know, it's a little bit of a
1:46
rough patch. We're in the middle of the
1:48
season there, a couple games, but you know, they got the buy
1:51
under their belt and yeah, there's just so much to catch up
1:55
on with the Bills. So let's get started then, I
1:58
guess. Yes, Sir, let's do it.
2:01
All right, let's do this. So let's talk about the the game
2:06
of the week this past week, and that was the Chiefs versus the
2:09
Bills. And you talked about the Chiefs
2:12
Bills. There's so much history between
2:14
those two franchises and they've have faced each other in
2:18
numerous occasions. And talk about what were the
2:23
differences that you saw with this game?
2:26
And and the defense was a little bit different.
2:28
The offense is a little bit different, but talk about this
2:31
game and what did you see the difference with with the Chiefs
2:35
of Bills this year compared to the previous years?
2:40
Yeah. So the number one thing that I
2:42
saw from Chiefs Bills edition, whatever it's now, it is now I
2:45
think it's like their 10th meeting with Mahomes versus
2:48
Alan. But the biggest thing that I
2:51
noticed was the pass rush. The pass rush was able to get
2:54
after Mahomes with only four guys.
2:56
And anytime you can do that in the NFL, you've got a good shot
2:58
at winning the football game because it's just so hard to
3:01
plan against 4 rushers with eight or seven defenders, not
3:07
rushing, just dropping into coverage.
3:08
So it makes it very typical in the opposing quarterback.
3:11
The Bills were able to do that with with only four guys for a
3:14
majority of time. Joey Bosa had probably his best
3:16
game as a Bill so far. Greg.
3:19
Greg Rousseau had 9 pressures. I believe Michael Hoyt was doing
3:23
his thing before where he went down, and it's pretty cool to
3:25
see them be able to get this done without the presence of
3:28
Matt Oliver, who they'll probably lose until at least the
3:32
first or second round of the playoffs.
3:33
But to see them get home before against Holmes was a game
3:36
changer. We kind of haven't seen that
3:37
against Mahomes from the McDermott era, so it was pretty
3:41
fun to see and I think that's why you saw the West.
3:44
At the end of the day, anytime you're able to do that, the
3:46
Patrick Mahomes or any elite quarterback for that fact, it
3:49
just boosts your chances of winning so much.
3:52
I think another thing that was different, maybe not from
3:55
sheep's games in the past, but just from games of this year in
3:58
general, the passing offense looked more fluent because of
4:01
Dalton Kincaid. I think the Bills are ready to
4:04
make Dalton Kincaid their go to weapon and we kind of have been
4:06
seeing that so far this year. He's got 200 yard receiving
4:09
games, which is first round production.
4:11
So we're finally starting to see that from him.
4:13
And then and James coach just continues to be one of the best
4:16
running backs in the NFL. They fed him.
4:18
I'd like to see them feed him even more, more so in the
4:21
passing game. But I mean, this guy's
4:23
incredible. So anytime you've got Josh
4:25
Allen, a quarterback plus a threat like James Cook out of
4:27
the backfield, you've got a chance to ignite your offense
4:30
and then Delta Kincaid caps it off.
4:32
So I think that's a glimpse of what we're going to see for the
4:35
rest of the season on offense. Let me ask you this then because
4:39
we talked about Joey Bosa and he was supposed to be the game
4:43
changer of the Bills defense this year, especially having Von
4:47
Miller in the past and he was supposed to be that guy.
4:49
But unfortunately the injuries was a factor and he wasn't
4:52
really the same player like he was right after the Super Bowl
4:55
when they won it with the Rams, but with Bosa now with the
4:59
addition and yes. He's about Joey Bosa.
5:02
Yeah, yeah. About Joey Bosa.
5:04
Yeah, with Bosa, like how important is he with that
5:07
defense, especially let's just say if that if there's a rematch
5:09
down the road in the playoffs with the Chiefs?
5:11
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, anytime you can have a
5:14
premier pass rusher, which I kind of feel like the Bills have
5:16
lacked. I mean, Greg Rousseau has been a
5:18
great pro. He's earned himself a second
5:20
contract, but he's never been a constant havoc creator, if you
5:25
will, for the Bills. He'll kind of come and go in
5:27
spurts, which which has been interesting to see over his
5:30
career. But Joey Bosa is a guy who's
5:32
been there done that. He's had double digit sack
5:34
seasons. He finally appears to be
5:36
healthy. He appears to be very happy to
5:39
be in Buffalo. And I think that's kind of why
5:41
you're seeing your best, his best ball within maybe the past
5:44
three years. He he seems to be happy.
5:46
He seems to be comfortable and he seems to be in command of the
5:49
defensive line. I got a question here now going
5:52
back to to what we were talking about specifically with the
5:56
Chiefs. Now, me and Rocky have had a
5:59
little bit of a debate on this in the past, just the past few
6:04
weeks as and, and we've seen the Chiefs and seem the most
6:10
vulnerable this year when it comes down to it.
6:13
I mean, they got a losing record, I believe.
6:16
And with Mama Holmes looks like he's playing his best ball too.
6:20
Would you still say that they're the team to beat?
6:23
Because something in back of my mind is telling me Jonathan
6:28
Taylor is the guy to beat like he like if we face him in the
6:31
playoffs, he could give us big time problems.
6:34
What are your thoughts on that? I think that's a 2 parter.
6:38
I think the Chiefs are still the team to beat the AFC because
6:41
they have the best quarterback in the NFL as Patch Mahomes.
6:44
Anytime you face that, you face that kind of French just like,
6:47
OK, this guy can take it to the next level in the postseason.
6:50
And we've seen it so many times before.
6:51
The Chiefs kind of rally at the end of the year, get into the
6:54
postseason and look the best they've looked all year.
6:57
So you can ever count them out. They're still five and four.
6:59
They're not completely out of the race here.
7:02
And like you said to your note, Patrick Mahomes is kind of
7:05
playing some of the best ball we've seen in a while.
7:08
I think they're just lacking A dynamic sprout of the backfield.
7:12
Their defense looks sloppy at times, but it's the Kansas City
7:16
Chiefs. I'm not I'm not going to be too
7:17
critical. They're going to be there in
7:19
January and February, maybe February, we'll see.
7:22
But I think you're also right with the Colts, man.
7:24
I mean, Jonathan Taylor, it's to your to your note.
7:27
He could be the guy to be because in the NFL it's matchup
7:30
oriented. And what do the Bills struggle
7:33
against stopping the run? John Jonathan Taylor, I believe,
7:36
has 800 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns right now.
7:39
Like it's week 10. It's crazy.
7:41
He's going insane. He's probably the front runner
7:43
for off of the player of the year.
7:45
And you're right, he's he's running the hollow the ball for
7:47
the Colts. Daniel Jones looks composed.
7:50
They add sauce at the deadline to kind of make that all in kind
7:54
of push. So maybe, maybe it is the Colts,
7:56
but I am someone who values playoff experience and the Colts
8:01
don't have that. So I would still say the Chiefs
8:04
are still it seem to be. You got to think the Ravens
8:07
still aren't dead in the water. The AFC North is a crapshoot
8:10
this year. Lamar Jackson's coming back, so
8:13
if he can rally as an MVP candidate, maybe get that, then
8:16
back into the race. It's still a quarterback driven
8:18
league, but again, matchups mean a lot in the postseason and
8:22
Jonathan Taylor could surely ruin the Bills day.
8:25
Yeah, I don't know why I thought that the Chiefs had to lose.
8:28
I think that I thought they were four and five instead of five
8:31
and four. But yeah, they're they're
8:34
definitely. I agree with everything you said
8:36
there, but now let's get to to the the trade deadline.
8:41
They were rumored to make some moves.
8:43
Everybody thought they were making some moves.
8:45
Everybody which was expecting them to make some moves.
8:48
Now the moves that they were rumored to make near the end of
8:52
the deadline, I think was Tim Graham had said that they were
8:55
in on Debo Samuel and and Von Miller, believe it or not,
8:59
bringing him back. But yeah, that never happened.
9:03
So, and to me, would what would you say would be the big would
9:09
have been the biggest need at the trade deadline?
9:12
Because for me, it's not offense for me, it's defense and
9:15
stopping the run. And and and you know, with all
9:18
the injuries that we got going on there, now we lose Michael
9:21
Hoyt to like, I mean, at Oliver, like you, you mentioned is going
9:26
to be over for a long time. So what are your thoughts on
9:28
what the Bills didn't do at the trade deadline?
9:31
And do you think it's a problem for the rest of the season or,
9:35
or you still have confidence of what we have right now?
9:38
Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head there.
9:40
I thought defensive line should have been the place where an
9:44
addition would have came because when you're looking at guys on
9:47
the offensive side of ball that were available, Rashid Jaheed,
9:50
who else went, what's his name? Jacoby Myers was available.
9:55
I think there's those guys were kind of redundant.
9:57
So with the Bills, either Rasheed, he would have been nice
9:59
as a deep threat, but were you going to pay 1/4 and 1/5 for a
10:02
guy who's going to play the rest of his contract and then maybe
10:05
move on because the Bills don't have space, you know what I'm
10:07
saying? So you kind of have to take
10:08
value. If they were going to get
10:09
offense, it was probably going to be an all in move like Olave
10:13
or Garrett Wilson, But I just don't know how they would have
10:16
made the cap work. And the AFCE had a lot of guys
10:19
available and quite frankly, teams just don't like the fuel
10:22
and revision. So that's kind of where that
10:24
landed. I would have liked to see them
10:26
as the defensive line. Like I said, you mentioned that
10:29
Oliver's going to be out, Michael Hoyt's going to be out.
10:32
You're already banged up across the line a little bit.
10:34
We're waiting for TJ Sanders to come back to Quan.
10:36
Jones is still out. And you know, I really thought
10:40
they were going to get something done to bring in a defensive end
10:42
or a defensive tackle. We, we, we heard from Brandon
10:45
Bean yesterday and his post trade deadline press conference
10:50
and it did sound like he tried to make moves.
10:52
But sometimes it just doesn't happen.
10:54
It takes 2 to tango. If these guys were asking for
10:57
too much for a player that didn't meet the value, then, you
10:59
know, so be it. That's just how the league
11:01
works. You don't want to overpay for a
11:03
mediocre player. But yeah, I'm surprised.
11:06
I thought they were going to get somebody from the defensive
11:08
line. You're kind of banking on, you
11:10
know, unproven guys. Javon Solomon's going to have to
11:13
step into a bigger role. Landon Jackson, who hasn't even
11:16
been earning a game day jersey this year so far, he's going to
11:20
have to step up. You want to see a lot more from
11:22
your third round pick. So it's going to be interesting
11:25
to see they they cut, they brought in Casey Tuhill back to
11:27
the practice squad. Kingsley Jonathan was in for a
11:30
visit, so you know they're looking.
11:32
I don't know how many people are going to land, but they're kind
11:36
of banking on a lot of new faces.
11:37
Federian math. This is a guy who just got
11:39
signed the active 53. So you know, it's it's going to
11:42
be interesting. I think I'll learn a lot more
11:43
after this next game. I want to recap the season so
11:49
far for the Bills. Right now, there's six and two
11:51
to start, which isn't a bad start at all.
11:53
And some people thought that the Bills would probably have a much
11:57
better record. But, you know, looking at the
12:00
schedule, it's so hard to go undefeated throughout the air,
12:02
right? So look into the season.
12:05
What are the pros? What are the cons?
12:07
Do you think when they face the Patriots, when they face the
12:10
Falcons, where they're all produced, for them to capitalize
12:13
with those games? Or do you think it was just that
12:15
they're a bit depleted at that time and the injuries kind of
12:18
affected them and, and, and they're in the fine spot?
12:21
Like what are your thoughts about the season so far?
12:26
Yeah, the two losses, I think you heard McDermott say a little
12:30
while back that they're kind of still trying to figure out who
12:33
the team is and what their identity is and who they want to
12:36
be. I think those losses are a
12:37
direct link to that quote because, you know, it's people
12:42
like to point fingers. It's Week 8 already.
12:45
You got to know who you are. Well, there's some new faces in
12:48
on offense and you have to account for that.
12:51
Joe Brady's kind of starting to sense a groove now.
12:54
You have Dalton Kincaid, who's back who you know, wasn't
12:57
available against the Patriots. So or no, was he available?
13:01
He missed one game. I can't remember who was against
13:03
but. He.
13:05
Was against the Falcons. Yeah.
13:07
So, yeah, and, and you're kind of banking on Dalton Kincaid to
13:11
be your number one guy in the receiving game besides maybe
13:14
close secure, but he doesn't get downfield that often.
13:18
So, you know, I think they're finally starting to round the
13:20
corner of who they want to be offensively.
13:23
They're still kind of waiting on a few guys to step into their
13:26
role in the receiver room, whether that's Keon Coleman,
13:29
Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore. Brandon me was very outspoken
13:33
about getting the ball those guys more yesterday in his post
13:36
press conference. So it's going to be interesting
13:38
to see. I think like I said, though,
13:40
those losses were linked to an inability to target who they
13:45
want to be on offense because it was still kind of a growing
13:48
pain. And then, yeah, the injury bug,
13:50
it's it's hit Buffalo hard not only for the Bills but for the
13:53
Savers. I don't know if you guys pay
13:55
attention, but it's just crazy how many guys have been knocked
13:57
out of the lineup for both of those squads.
14:00
So, you know, once they're healthy, you're still an elite
14:02
team. They still have Josh Allen,
14:04
James Cookson off as a player of the year candidate.
14:07
Like, you know, they're going to get it done on both sides of the
14:09
ball because they've been there and they've done that.
14:12
Now, is it enough to face off against the other Titans in the
14:15
AFC? We'll see.
14:16
We've got the postseason advantage because we've been
14:19
there and done that. But you know, the Colts look
14:21
like a hard team to stop. So there's still so much to
14:25
learn with the rest of the season.
14:28
Right, yeah, you're you're spot on when the rookie.
14:32
Let's talk about a bit of the rookies that have been stepping
14:35
up for the Bills this season. But Deoni Walker, he's been
14:38
great and Maxwell Harrison junior since he's come back has
14:42
looked fantastic. And then you have Jackson Hodges
14:45
even filled in and did some good, good things that tight end
14:49
catching the ball and other stuff, right, blocking and stuff
14:52
like that. So I mean, he's been really good
14:54
too. So what are your thoughts on on
14:56
this this rookie class and how they played so far up to this
14:59
point in the season? I've been impressed with the a
15:03
few of the top guys. Like I said, Maxwell Harrison,
15:05
it's unfortunate to lose him for as long as they did because
15:08
you'd like to get your rookie those reps early on in the
15:10
season. But like you said, since he's
15:12
come back, he's looked smooth. He had a great game against
15:15
Xavier Worthy. He gets an interception against
15:18
Patrick Mahomes. There's really not much more you
15:20
can ask from the young guy. And you know, actually today
15:24
Christian Bedford showed up on the IR with a groin injury.
15:28
So if he's out this Sunday, then you have Maxwell Harrison
15:31
stepping into your cornerback one this week.
15:34
So, you know, it's funny how quickly things can work and
15:36
things can turn like that. But yeah, I've been very
15:39
impressed with what I've seen from Maxwell Harrison.
15:40
The speed shows off, the IQ shows off so far, which is fun
15:45
for me to see. Dion Walker's already looking
15:48
like, you know, probably the best rookie interior defensive
15:51
lineman in this draft so far. Maybe I'm missing somebody, but
15:55
if not, he's up there. He's looked great.
15:57
He's he's gumming up the middle. He's getting after it in pass
16:00
rush and he's doing a better job against the run that I actually
16:02
expected him to. And you know, he dealt with that
16:05
back injury prior. It's actually getting the line
16:07
up. So it's far.
16:08
It's it's funny how fast he's been able to adapt to the system
16:13
and become an impact player. I still want to see more from TJ
16:16
Sanders and I won't rule him out because, you know, he's been on
16:20
the IR for a few weeks now, although I do believe he's close
16:23
to coming back. I'd like to see him create some
16:27
interior pressure, which he was doing a little bit in his first
16:30
couple games. Jordan Hancock's been a nice
16:32
surprise. The fifth round pick from Ohio
16:34
State, he's starting to mix into the defense, which is nice
16:38
because you've got this youth breed of Maxwell Harrison and
16:41
Jordan Hancock coming in and giving a fresh breath of air to
16:44
the Bills defense, which I think was desperately needed.
16:47
Jackson Hawes has been phenomenal in the run game.
16:49
You see the Bills are running a lot of that 13 personnel with
16:52
Gilliam, Jackson Hawes and Kincaid or Knox.
16:55
It's just it's, it's so fun to watch that run game with Jackson
16:58
Hawes out there and I think it's been strong so far.
17:01
Again, it's still early, but the early returns from this year
17:04
look great. Actually, I'll say good, not
17:07
great because I I want to see more from Landon Jackson.
17:09
That's my concern. He spent pick 72 on him.
17:12
He hasn't even been able to suit up for games.
17:15
Xavier Watts was available in the bind of the Bills needed to
17:18
safety, even though Cole Bishop's starting to step up
17:20
now, but he goes 20 something picks later to the Falcons and
17:24
he's looking like a Pro Bowler so far.
17:25
So you know what kind of stings when you don't see that early
17:28
production from a guy you couldn't have had but Landon
17:30
Jackson, I'd like to see him step up a little more if that's
17:34
kind of the, the hypothesis and the the synopsis of what I'm
17:37
saying. Injuries continue to be a
17:41
concern for the Bills and it's been a continuity of of injuries
17:47
throughout the years. And I just wonder now that you
17:51
look at the depth and there and that's all provided and needed.
17:55
And if you look at the injuries that's gone down like you saw
17:57
DeMar Hamlin, TJ Sanders, a thought could be a significant
18:01
factor. It could be once he's off the
18:03
IR, right. So I think that with all these
18:08
injuries, you look at what's going on, like how important is
18:12
it because you look at at Oliver torn bicep out indefinitely, but
18:16
he should be back by January. Matt Milano has been injured
18:20
throughout the years and like where he stands in all this.
18:23
Josh Palmer was a guy that they picked up and be a route runner
18:28
for the Bills. And we'll talk about the wide
18:29
receiver depth later in this episode.
18:31
But like talk about the injuries, how much of A concern
18:34
and is the depth good enough for them to to continue their
18:37
success? What?
18:41
Yeah, you'd certainly hope the depth is good enough because,
18:44
you know, the trade deadline has gone and gone and passed, so
18:47
your hopes of adding anybody comes straight from free agency.
18:51
And obviously, you know, people are free agents for a reason.
18:53
They're not looked at as impact players, but they could be guys
18:57
who step into depth rules. Like I said, it's so weird to
19:02
look at the depth right now because a lot of guys are hurt.
19:05
But I I do like the Bills depth across the defensive line.
19:07
It was better when guys like Mike Hoy were around.
19:10
But you know, we get to see Javon Sullivan in a larger in a
19:14
larger role, likely, you know, playing that Michael Hoyt role
19:18
that he was playing before he went down.
19:20
And I think Solomon is a bit more of a dynamic athlete than
19:24
Michael Hoyt. So that'll be fun to watch,
19:26
giving him a full chance to just go in the game.
19:30
So I'm excited to see that. I think the cornerback depth is
19:34
strong. Jordan Hancock is playing some
19:37
good ball right now as a fifth round rookie.
19:39
Dane Jackson still there. I know people aren't the biggest
19:41
fan of him, but he's a solid guy who knows the system.
19:45
Maxwell Harrison, we, we don't know what he is, but he looks
19:48
good so far. And Christian Benford is, you
19:50
know, dealing with that groin injury.
19:52
But he's been healthy for largely most of the season.
19:54
The big concern I have there in the secondary is you did lose
19:57
Dorian Strong to that neck injury and the returns from Sean
20:01
McDermott. We're not good this past week.
20:03
It sounds like it could be more serious than than initially
20:07
thought, potentially, maybe career threatening.
20:10
We don't really know. There's not so much out there
20:12
right now. But, and I don't want to
20:14
speculate, but it did not sound good.
20:16
So maybe you're looking at an addition to the cornerback room?
20:20
I think the Bills are fine where they're at right now.
20:22
It's Week 10. There's going to be addition and
20:25
subtraction to the active roster, so it kind of just
20:28
evolves Where it stands right now I feel good about.
20:31
So let's talk a bit about James Cook.
20:33
You mentioned Cook earlier and and the run game and talked
20:38
about just how good he's doing and, and, and how fun that run
20:42
game is to watch operate. You know, he continues to be one
20:46
of the best running backs that game.
20:47
I believe he's second in rushing yards behind Jonathan Taylor.
20:52
And I mean, the guy doesn't even get used like Jonathan Taylor
20:55
either. So it's like, you know, like
20:56
it's it's, it's quite impressive in itself how important to see
21:03
down the stretch here and going into the playoffs.
21:06
And, and would you, and I know you mentioned you'd like to see
21:09
him get more reps So talk about, talk about some of the things
21:12
that they could do to maybe use him a bit more than they have.
21:17
Yeah, I think James Cook is your identity.
21:20
If you ask me, outside of Josh Allen, when guys aren't getting
21:24
open down the field, you've got to resort to your best offensive
21:27
players. And that's Josh Allen and James
21:29
Cook, who are both, you know, massive rushing threats.
21:34
So what James Cook has been able to do this year, combined with
21:38
the elite offensive line play, with the blocking of the tight
21:42
ends, it's been so, so successful.
21:45
And I think it would be foolish to pivot from that down the
21:48
line. He's going to be your driving
21:50
engine on offense, I believe for the rest of the year.
21:52
I believe he's averaging 5 1/2 yards per carry, which is just
21:56
bizarre. I think that leads the NFL as of
21:59
Week 10, which it's it's easy to see.
22:02
I mean, every time the guy touches the ball, you have a you
22:05
have a feeling there it could be a first down or more.
22:08
So it's, it's, it's so impressive what he's been able
22:10
to do. And yes, I'd like to see him
22:12
involved in the passing game a little bit more.
22:14
I think if you can get him scripted open, either on a
22:17
screen, maybe a Texas route, just playing the flats a little
22:21
bit more or maybe even targeting downfield because he is that
22:24
kind of dynamic athlete that could get downfield and make a
22:26
play. I think that should be a focus
22:29
of Joe Brady because you just want to get the ball into you're
22:33
the hands of your best playmakers and that's why I
22:35
believe James Koch is for this Bill's offense.
22:37
I think he's the best. Playmaker So when you were here
22:42
for during those lost tapes, we were talking about Duncan
22:45
Kincaid, how he was working on his game harder than ever.
22:49
And now it's showing as advertised as that first round
22:53
pick two years ago and he's turned out to be a top ten tight
22:58
end now in football and he's ascending up the way and he
23:02
missed one game and he's turning out to be the player that he is.
23:06
He's a, he's a lethal weapon for Josh Allen now.
23:08
And I think Josh Allen was the one who told Brandon B to go get
23:11
him. And indeed, it's paying
23:14
dividends. And how important is he,
23:17
especially with this health and all last year that he went
23:20
through moving forward now that he's become one of their top
23:24
options offensively. Yeah, the Delta Gig Cade is your
23:30
best separator on the Bills offense right now.
23:33
The way he just moves so effortlessly at his size.
23:37
He's become more physical both in the past game and the run
23:40
game, which I think was kind of the biggest headline surrounding
23:45
his name during the offseason. That and just getting healthy,
23:49
which was the biggest thing. Delta Gig Cade proved to be a
23:52
serious weapon his rookie year and then he kind of, you know,
23:56
because the sophomore year was gummed up with injuries.
23:58
Bad luck. You come back, he's healthy now.
24:02
He comes in and looks a little heavier than normal, which is
24:05
good. That's what we wanted to see and
24:08
he's having 100 yard games. This guy was drafted in the
24:11
first round for a reason. It was never a bad pick.
24:15
It was just unfortunate that he got hurt last year.
24:17
He moves so well for a tight on his size.
24:21
He's one of the he's. He's arguably one of the better
24:23
route runners down the field for the Bills right now and his
24:27
report with Josh Allen is only going to continue to grow as the
24:30
season goes on. Your tight end room is elite
24:33
from from top to bottom. You got to think it's a top five
24:36
tight end room in the NFL with Kincaid Knox and Jackson Hawes.
24:39
Now I know he's not the biggest guy in the past game, but he's
24:43
such a threat in the run game. It's so fun to watch.
24:47
Yeah, I, I think the the development of Delta Kincaid is
24:50
crucial. I don't think he's near his peak
24:53
yet. I think he has a lot to unlock.
24:55
And I think the Bills will do that because I think Josh Allen
24:57
really trusts. That the Bills released
24:59
Wilkerson and Ciarlo signed edges Tool Hill and Nelson and
25:05
quarterback Couch for tryouts. What are your thoughts on on
25:08
what they did there and and bring it in some of these guys
25:11
to try and help shore up some of these injuries?
25:15
Yeah. I mean, you kind of look back,
25:16
they just Brandon Bean loves himself a former Bill and and
25:20
then there, there you have it. Casey Tuhill was here last year
25:23
for a little bit. I believe he signed elsewhere in
25:26
the offseason and to Corey Couch was a young guy who kind of
25:29
played on our practice squad for a while, never really fell into
25:32
line. I believe he was released this
25:34
past offseason and and here he is.
25:36
He's back because the Bills need bodies.
25:39
They need heads in these critical positions.
25:41
I think it's fine for once, I think I'd like to see the Bills
25:46
take a a larger jump as opposed to just bringing back former
25:50
players. And I know they're so strap
25:52
tight to the cap. So maybe these guys are asking
25:55
for a lot more. But maybe just like I, I tweeted
25:57
a list yesterday of defensive lineman on the market that I
26:00
liked, even like Jerry Hughes. Jerry Hughes is 37, but he's
26:03
still an incredibly effective pass rusher.
26:07
And obviously there's the Buffalo tie and there's just a
26:11
few, a few other names that I probably would have preferred
26:13
than those guys. But hey, being trust and who am
26:16
I to question? They know the system.
26:19
I'm sure it's not exactly the same, but why not, right?
26:23
Yeah, why not? Because I mean, every team is
26:25
trying to itch and scratch because if you look at the way
26:27
the trade line trade deadline occurred, not of the top, top
26:31
contenders that that did significant moves, they didn't
26:34
do anything. It's just the way the market was
26:36
going. But we'll get into that later.
26:38
But let's dive into the whole wide receiver depth of this team
26:43
because you know that Brandon Bean was looking for a wide
26:45
receiver with the reports out there.
26:49
And now, now they're locked in with this wide receiver core for
26:53
the time being. Looking at this wide receivers,
26:56
you look at Shakira, he's still a steady wide receiver, right?
27:00
And Kia Coleman and I thought that we know we talked about
27:03
this in the past thinking that he would take that next step.
27:06
He hasn't really done it yet, but I do think that there's a
27:09
potential in him and you could go talk about that and then talk
27:11
about Shavers has been a a low key acquisition or pickup and
27:16
he's still making some plays. And of course, Josh Palmer, I
27:20
mean, he's made some phenomenal plays as well.
27:22
And I still think he could be X Factor.
27:24
And Curtis Samuel, of course, one of the guys that Joe Brady
27:29
play had when he was with Carolina and Brandon Bean was
27:32
assistant. But talk about the core wide
27:34
receiver chords if it's good enough, and can they be
27:37
stabilized with the offense itself?
27:42
The receipt through 10 weeks are no.
27:46
There's been a plenty of time. So the Josh Allen has looked
27:49
down field and just nobody's got an open.
27:52
I don't think that's totally on the receiving course talent.
27:55
I think Joe Brady, sometimes, I don't want to say it struggles
27:59
because I'm not an offensive coordinator, but I think there's
28:02
better ways to utilize some of the guys in the roster.
28:06
Keon Coleman, yeah, we haven't seen much from him.
28:09
He's kind of getting asked to play that like Mack Hollins kind
28:12
of role for the Bills now where he's like just this big blocker.
28:17
He runs these little rinky dink routes around the line of
28:19
scrimmage and then he goes vertical or it's a crossing
28:22
route. They don't ask too much of him.
28:24
I don't know how you unlock his potential for the rest of the
28:27
season. Right now, close secure is your
28:29
consistently best wide receiver, even though Keon Coleman leads
28:33
the team in snaps. I believe Curtis Samuel has been
28:37
fine. He was able to take the top on
28:39
the defense last game a few times and open up for other
28:42
people. Shavers has been cool.
28:44
I think there's more meat on the bone there, but it's just, you
28:47
know, if he can't get on the field, then there's something
28:49
more than that, then we know it's it's weird.
28:52
It's kind of a hodgepodge group. They're waiting for Josh Palmer
28:55
to get back from injury. And it kind of sounds like maybe
28:58
he has a chance to come back this week, maybe next week.
29:01
We'll see. He got banged up in that Falcons
29:05
game, but prior to him leaving, I believe he had two receptions
29:08
for 60 yards, including that the deep ball from Josh Allen, which
29:11
was pretty. So yeah, there's more meat on
29:13
the bone with Josh Palmer. So I'm, I'm excited to see that.
29:17
And who am I missing? Receiver room?
29:19
Elijah Moore has had a few nice catches.
29:22
We knew he wasn't going to go out and get 7 catches a game,
29:25
but he's been a nice player to have in your back pocket.
29:29
And you're potentially getting Gabe Davis back as soon as
29:31
potentially this week. So he's another guy to toss the
29:34
hat, toss his name into the hat. So it'll be interesting.
29:37
You know, it's an ever evolving offenses and season goes on.
29:41
So I think you'll only see more comfortability as we go on.
29:46
And like I said, you've got Gabe Davis coming in, so who knows
29:48
what kind of element he got. Yeah.
29:51
And I think, I think Curtis Samuel came back this week,
29:54
right? There was a list week or last
29:55
week he came. Yeah, he came back, Yeah.
29:57
Yeah. So he's another guy I guess you
29:59
could throw into the conversation there, but Josh
30:03
Allen, let's talk about Josh. She's considered, you know, a
30:07
consistent favorite for MVP every year, especially after his
30:11
season last season. But what do you feel like he it
30:14
feels like this year, he's kind of, you know, he's had his
30:18
inconsistencies that time. So what what do you feel like he
30:21
has to do going forward to be consistent and and get back to
30:25
what he was last year? Yeah, I think that's as simple
30:30
as Joe Murray question. You have Josh Allens, you know,
30:34
if you ask me, a top 2 quarterback in the NFL.
30:36
So he can literally do everything on the field.
30:40
And if the Bill's offense is struggling to move so much, I
30:43
don't think that's a Josh Allen problem.
30:45
We did hear him say a few weeks back that, you know, he's had
30:48
some unsure it. He's in his mechanics recently.
30:52
He kind of said, he said he's kind of snapped back into it
30:55
against Kansas City, which was nice to hear.
30:58
Again, I think it just comes down to Joe Brady making his job
31:00
easier, like utilizing his weapons in the way that he best
31:05
believes they can get open, make the job easier for Josh Allen.
31:08
There's been no real downfield threat, which is yet to be
31:11
desired. But yeah, I think if you're
31:15
going to point to Josh Allen's slow start, if anything, it's
31:18
not against the player, it's against the coaches.
31:22
Yeah, because like with Josh Allen, will you look at him?
31:26
I mean, he's considered Wiley top two, top three quarterback
31:31
at worst, and he's always going to be in that conversation no
31:34
matter what. But I like to talk about the
31:36
opposite spectrum, and that's the defense here.
31:40
And this is what Brandon Bean said over the summer.
31:43
And he emphasized so much on the draft, on defense and think
31:49
about what you look at and you look at the depth right now and
31:53
how do you how do you look at the depth overall?
31:56
Because you know that Bijon Robinson and Bijon Robinson and
32:02
Derrick Henry had a massive run game.
32:05
And you look at how how they have stopped the run game the
32:10
last couple weeks after that. So how do you look at this
32:13
defense and how do you evaluate it overall?
32:15
They've been on par so far this year.
32:18
I think we're going to see a better defense in the
32:20
second-half of the year. Again, that's just a continuity
32:22
thing because there's a lot of new faces.
32:25
It's so hard to give you a legitimate answer because
32:28
they've been so banged up. I haven't seen them healthy
32:31
really altogether. So it's it's kind of an
32:35
inconclusive grade if you ask me.
32:37
You like to see the surge out of Maxwell Harrison recently.
32:41
Joey Bosa seems to be playing his best ball.
32:45
Few guys are getting healthy in the linebacker room.
32:48
So, you know, I think there's still more to be desired.
32:51
We knew this wasn't going to be the best top five elite group
32:54
going into the season. I think they can be better than
32:57
what they've shown and they're starting to round the corner it
33:00
seems. But again, they're going to be
33:02
tested with the injuries. So I can't really give you a
33:05
conclusive grade because of that.
33:08
I will say my final statement is that I think there's more to be
33:11
desired and I think they'll deliver.
33:14
Let me ask you a question here then.
33:17
Who would be The X Factor for the Bills to step up moving
33:20
forward? Because I know that there's
33:22
always that one significant play.
33:24
And we know that Ed Oliver, obviously when he's back, but he
33:27
won't be back till the playoffs. But if you had to pick a player
33:30
that you think needs to step up and contribute and help this
33:34
defense, who would it be? My 2 X Factor candidates on the
33:40
defense would probably be the two young guys, but for a
33:42
different reason that you just mentioned.
33:44
I don't think they need to step up, but if they can make a jump
33:47
into a star status that takes the Bills to a new level, I
33:51
believe that's Maxwell Hairston and Cole Bishop.
33:54
We saw Cole Bishop play absolutely out of his mind
33:56
against the Chiefs. I believe he had four pass
33:59
breakups, 7 tackles and one tackle for loss.
34:02
He was just playing like a Man on Fire.
34:03
He had so much confidence. He had controlled the defense.
34:06
He kind of knew what the Chiefs were doing.
34:08
If Cole Bishop can take this jump into, OK, now we got a guy
34:11
in the deep halves, the bill's defense can take a real scary
34:15
turn. And Maxwell Hairston's my pick
34:18
as well because of the dynamic athlete that he is.
34:21
We saw him get his hands on interception from Holmes.
34:23
If that happens again and he's got some room to work with, this
34:26
guy's a pick six threat at all times.
34:29
I believe he had six pick sixes in college.
34:31
So it's like, yeah, this guy with the ball is legit in his
34:34
hands. So if he can take a jump and
34:37
immediately become one of the better CB twos in the NFL again,
34:41
there's another level for the defense to a lock.
34:46
How much do you think the jump with Cole Bishop Britt, you
34:50
know, having Jordan Poyer there, you know, kind of like to help
34:54
like, you know, even in the film room when they're when they're
34:57
looking at film, because you mentioned he just looked like he
34:59
was ready for the chiefs and whatever that they were going to
35:02
throw at him. So I would assume a lot of that
35:05
is coming from the film room because I mean, he he only saw
35:10
them what, once last year, right.
35:12
So I mean, well, twice in a play out we saw him in the playoffs,
35:18
right Believe yeah, but yeah, I think so.
35:23
How much would you would you think that that plays a part
35:26
have? Yeah, I mean, Cole Bishop
35:30
playing a part like that is is so massive.
35:32
We've actually seen him have good games, like we've seen him
35:35
put good tape on the field and we've seen flashes and moments
35:40
of greatness from that, but we've seen a lot of bad as well.
35:43
The tale of the story with Cole Bishop has been the consistency
35:47
throughout the whole season. Really in the early half of the
35:49
year, it was not looking too great for him, but he's kind of
35:52
settled down. He's he's taking this role with
35:54
Jordan Poyer, who has to be a great guy to have in your back
35:58
pocket, and he's kind of molding it into what the Bills want him
36:02
to be. He seems like a very smart
36:04
player, and when you have that kind of IQ combined with the
36:09
absolutely insane athletic profile that Cole Bishop has,
36:13
you have the potential to have a game changer.
36:15
And if Cole Bishop can make that step for the Bills and become
36:18
kind of this versatile ball hawk guy who flies to the ball magnet
36:23
kind of player, well then there's another level for the
36:25
Bills to take. So when Taylor Rapp returns, I
36:30
know he's on the IR as well and thinking that.
36:34
He's not coming back this season.
36:35
He's out for the year. He's no, he's out for the year.
36:37
So it is poor, poor your thing. OK, then you.
36:41
Answer the question. Because because I thought that
36:43
with rap, I want to ask what was the fit?
36:46
But I mean, now he's done for the year, OK, that that
36:49
eliminates question. Well, who would you say it would
37:00
be your pleasant surprise if you had to pick offensively and
37:04
defensively, you know, one or two players that you that have
37:07
just really exceeded your expectations this season?
37:12
Sure, on offense, my two guys would be.
37:14
I'm going to show some love to the run game.
37:16
Reggie Gilliam and Jackson host Coming into the season, if you
37:22
would have asked me if they were going to be impact players of
37:24
the Bills offense, I would have laughed.
37:26
But they've been so important to the run game and success at
37:30
success with their physicality and their IQ and and just making
37:35
blocks to the next level or just fighting an open guy and making
37:38
work out of it. It's been so fun to watch them
37:41
move an open space and getting down to the second level.
37:43
So I'll go with Jackson Hawes and I'll go with Reggie Gilliam
37:46
there. Give some love to the the
37:48
blockers out in space. And then on defense, who has
37:52
well, Dionne Walker's become an instant impact player.
37:54
He would be my my defensive kind of superstar that I didn't
37:59
expect. I didn't know how his back
38:01
injury was going to hinder him his rookie year.
38:03
And if you would have asked me, I kind of would have thought
38:05
maybe he would have had a kind of a red shirt rookie Susan.
38:08
But he has instantly become one of the Bills best defensive
38:12
lineman. And it's fun to watch him move
38:14
at that size, man. He's like a what did that Oliver
38:17
call him a Dancing Bear? He's like a Dancing Bear out
38:19
there, man. It's fun.
38:23
So let's let's talk about the upcoming game against the the
38:27
Dolphins here. And we know that the Bills do
38:31
own the Dolphins and surprisingly so that Mike
38:34
McDaniels didn't get fired, even though Chris Gear Greer has been
38:39
relieved of his duties. Like what do you expect?
38:43
Do you think is is it's going to be a a lopsided game or do you
38:46
do you expect any surprises or what do you think is going to
38:49
be? If everything goes.
38:50
In the Bills, yeah. If everything goes as planned,
38:56
the Bills should handle business in Miami this week.
38:58
This team does not know what they want to do right now.
39:02
Mike. No one wants to play for Mike
39:04
McDaniels it seems. Tua is probably playing the
39:08
worst all of his career. I would say you have to keep an
39:11
eye on that. Devon HN or Devon HN for being
39:15
as explosive as he is on offense.
39:17
No Tyree kill. Jaylen Waddle hasn't been
39:20
incredible this year, and their defense is missing pieces.
39:23
They just shaded away Jalen Phillips.
39:26
Yeah. Josh Allen has owned the
39:28
Dolphins for the past few years. I kind of expect that to be the
39:31
same song and story. Yeah, I agree with that.
39:37
Let's talk about the remaining schedule and who are the some of
39:39
the the tougher matchups. Like you meant she had the
39:43
Dolphins next week, then the Bucks, the Texans, Steelers,
39:48
Bengals, who have had, you know, their issues this year, but they
39:52
are their offense looks to be taking new form under, under,
39:56
under Joe Flacco, surprisingly. And then you got the Patriots,
40:00
Browns, Eagles and Jets. So talk about some of the the
40:05
matchups of me that you think are pivotal down the stretch and
40:09
may concern you going forward. As far as teams or players?
40:14
Just just in general teams, I, I mean, I mean, when you're
40:18
talking about just some of the tougher teams, they're tougher
40:21
matchups, even players you could throw in there, sure that that
40:24
works. In the AFC I, it's kind of a
40:29
weird year because it's almost, almost like we're going back to
40:32
2014. It's the Patriots, it's the
40:34
Steelers and it's the Colts. Those are the top guys.
40:37
Those are the top dogs right now.
40:38
And then the Broncos are out there, too, leading their
40:40
division. I think the Bills are a better
40:44
prepared team than all those guys.
40:47
Because what did I say earlier in the pod?
40:49
It was, you know, playoff experience really matters.
40:53
Drake Mays playing some incredible football and defense
40:56
looks good. The offense is moving great.
40:59
But at the end of the year, he's a sophomore and I would take
41:02
Josh Allen in the playoffs versus a sophomore 9 times out
41:05
of 10. And that one time you might get
41:07
a fluke win, but that's just how I'm going to operate.
41:11
Phoenix sophomore. You know, it's weird.
41:14
Aaron Rod, we're a 40 year old. Aaron Rodgers leads the
41:17
Steelers. And then you know, Daniel Jones,
41:20
it's his first year with the Colts, so who knows how he looks
41:23
in the postseason. Again, doesn't really have that
41:25
experience. I think he has one playoff loss,
41:27
so I'm going to take Josh Allen's playoff resume over any
41:31
of those guys. I still think it comes down to
41:33
to Helen Mahomes and Jackson at the end of the day.
41:38
But if you had to pick a game or games that would concern you and
41:42
say like, OK, you think that this team has an advantage?
41:45
Because we know that the Buccaneers are I think of first
41:48
place in the NFC South right now.
41:51
And the Texas, I mean, even though I mean, I thought better
41:55
from the Texas, but their defense is still there is still
41:57
great. But like, if there's games that
42:00
would concern you and say, like, OK, like the Bills should win
42:03
this game, but it'll be a bit of a concern because we thought
42:06
that the Bills can beat the Patriots earlier this year or
42:09
beat the Falcons. But but it was a surprise.
42:12
It was a surprise. And you know how the NFL works
42:14
for like any given Sunday. But if you had to pick games
42:17
that say that, OK, that that game might concern me a bit,
42:20
even though they still have a shot of winning it.
42:27
I would probably say the Patriots game concerns me
42:31
because if the Patriots go, you know, 2 and O against the Bills
42:35
and divisional play, that sucks. That is not good.
42:39
You're probably ruin your chance at winning the division there.
42:42
So I would say that that's in New England on December 14th at
42:46
one O clock. So that's going to be a big one.
42:48
I mean, I again, I always like the Bills going into these
42:51
games. It's going to be a different
42:52
scene that we've seen. So I can't speak for how they're
42:55
going to look against the Patriots in mid-december, but
42:58
that's probably going to be a pivotal game for the Bills going
43:00
into the end of the season here. So the next question I want to
43:05
ask you is diving into the AFC East and we talk about the
43:10
Patriots. And believe it or not, the Bills
43:12
are not in first place at the moment.
43:13
And the Patriots have shown up and looking at what they did in
43:17
the offseason, making all these moves, getting Mike Vrabel as
43:21
the coach. And and I think they're a little
43:24
bit ahead of schedule. I thought that there would be a
43:26
playoff team. But being in first place, I
43:28
mean, there's still a lot of football left.
43:30
And we know the Dolphins and The Jets, they're not going to be
43:33
anywhere anytime soon, even though The Jets made some
43:35
blockbuster boots that shocked the world, world talk about the
43:39
AFC East and how important and like you said, the Patriots.
43:44
But do they still, do they still have a shot of winning that
43:47
division and coming up against those matchups?
43:51
Do they have the best shot of winning the AFC East?
43:54
Well, the Patriots, they've got a really complete roster.
43:57
And I said going into this year that, you know, they're
44:00
offseason additions kind of pushed them into that next year.
44:03
But I do agree with you, I think they're ahead of schedule, too.
44:05
I didn't expect them to be this good so fast, but the pieces are
44:09
all there for them. They've got Christian Gonzalez
44:12
and Carlton Davis and their secondary in the middle of the
44:16
defensive line. You got Milton Williams and
44:18
you've got, what's his name, Christian Barmore.
44:23
The pass rush looks good. The linebackers are playing
44:25
physical under Mike Variable. Stefan Diggs looks incredible at
44:30
31 years old. Post and Achilles tear.
44:33
You could have asked me that. You could have told me that that
44:36
was going to work and I would have laughed in your face.
44:37
But man, he's looked really good for the for New England so far.
44:41
Drake May looks like a baby. Josh Allen, like he looks great
44:45
out there. It's a two man race.
44:47
Like you said, it's Patriots, Bills, and that's why I think
44:50
that game in December is so crucial for Buffalo.
44:55
Let me ask you this, though. I mean, I look at their schedule
44:59
and I mean, other than the Bills, OK, who have they beaten?
45:04
You look at them, it's the it's the Panthers.
45:07
They they beat the Saints, the Titans, the Browns.
45:12
They they, they shouldn't have beat the Falcons, but they did.
45:17
And you, I think they're well, they're two losses came at the
45:20
Raiders and the Steelers. So I mean, to me that's not very
45:24
impressive on paper, but I mean, what they've done on on the
45:30
field, I think like what you said, it has been impressive.
45:33
So how do you feel about like really just feel about like, are
45:38
they are they really a serious threat to dethrone the pills in
45:42
this division or just like it doesn't feel like that to me,
45:45
but what's your opinion on that? Well, we got to take a look at
45:49
who they're going to face down the line here, if that's your
45:52
thought process, because it would be Jets, Bengals, Giants,
45:56
that's a cakewalk. Sure.
45:59
Mills Ravens That's a tough two game stretch, especially with
46:02
Lamar Jackson being back probably.
46:05
And that is Jets, Dolphins. So like, yeah, to to your point,
46:10
to your point, they really haven't beaten anybody very
46:12
impressive. But again, you can't fault them
46:15
for playing who they have to play.
46:16
They're they're taking care of business.
46:18
Right, you got to beat who's in front of you.
46:20
I I'd get all that. And, and you're right, their
46:22
schedule is a little easier than ours.
46:24
So, but yeah, I mean, ours isn't really that tough either.
46:28
But yeah, I I get your point and it's totally valid.
46:32
But yeah, I mean, the way it looks right now, they look, they
46:35
look like a forest man. So I I, like I said, I, I guess
46:38
we'll see how things look down the line when things get gritty
46:42
closer to the playoffs. But you know, through 10 games
46:46
they're playing some damn good ball.
46:47
I, I guess, just call me a patriot hater, I guess I mean.
46:51
Hey, that's fine, man. I get it.
46:55
I get it. OK.
46:58
Let's expand a bit over here and we could go a little bit deeper
47:02
into this and we think about the AFC itself.
47:07
And you look at and you talked about a little bit already, but
47:09
just look at it as a whole. And you look at the situation
47:12
right now, right? And the colds made one of the
47:16
biggest blockbuster moves in recent memory, like getting a
47:20
guy like Sauce Garner and banking on the team that they're
47:23
at right now. And let's see how that season
47:25
ends and then the Jaguars getting Jacoby Myers.
47:28
But if you look at the AFC as a whole, you got the Broncos,
47:31
who's been a playoff team is trying to trying to compete for
47:35
the division, as well as the Charger that the Chiefs, of
47:37
course, But like how competitive is the AFC and the next And the
47:42
other question I want to ask you is how important for the Bills,
47:46
especially this year with the AFC be as wide open as it can be
47:51
to get the fur number one seed and get the bye week.
47:53
Because that's always been the problem because the Chiefs has
47:56
always been that team that always gets by weeks, year in
47:59
and year out. And can they finally get the
48:02
opportunity looking at the AFC as a whole?
48:09
I mean, yeah, everything's in front of them.
48:11
Everything is within their grasp.
48:12
I mean, like you said that it's a bad year for the Chiefs so
48:16
far, which is so funny to me because I feel like Patrick
48:19
Mahomes is an MVP candidate. But to your question where you
48:25
say if the AFC is competitive or not, this is kind of the year to
48:29
do it. If I'm taking a look at
48:30
everybody who leads their divisions right now, I think I
48:32
would take the Bills over them, five and three Steelers with
48:35
Aaron Rodgers giving the Bills the seven and two Colts.
48:38
Like I said earlier, if you know, it's Daniel Jones at the
48:42
end of the day and we don't know if he can be a playoff
48:45
performer, but again, matchup driven, they've got Jonathan
48:48
Taylor. So that's anyone's game really.
48:50
I think you would give the edge to the Colts in the match driven
48:53
thing, but it's Josh Allen in the playoffs and he's like a
48:57
Hall of Fame playoff performer. So how could I bet against that?
49:01
Nobody else but the Chiefs had that kind of playoff horizon at
49:06
quarterback. So that would be my response to
49:09
that. I think I'm still taking Josh
49:11
Allen and Patrick Mahomes over any of these guys, really.
49:14
OK, so besides those two, let's let's leave those two separately
49:18
because we know that the chiefs of the builds always are the top
49:22
seeds. But if you had to pick a team or
49:25
or teams that could be a wild card situation or could be a
49:29
threat to be either one of those teams.
49:32
Do you have a team in mind that you would think that has an
49:35
opportunity? Because that's that's a good
49:37
question here. Because like if you look at the
49:39
Chargers, they got Jim Harbaugh, they're trying to compete.
49:42
You got the Denver Broncos, you got Sean Payne, who's been Super
49:45
Bowl champion. So I think that that's something
49:48
that you look at with the seedings and stuff and with the
49:50
matchups and stuff. Like who would that be as a
49:52
whole? Yeah, I think the Chargers are a
49:57
great team. I I love the Chargers and how
49:59
they've built their roster, but they they lost Joel and for Sean
50:03
Slater, their offensive line is terrible now.
50:06
It's so bad and all they want to do is run the ball there and
50:09
it's going to be hard to get things done like that.
50:11
They're just they're they're a little banged up.
50:13
Justin Herbert's been kind of hit or miss this year.
50:15
He started off hot, but he's kind of cooled off a little
50:18
since then. We haven't seen, you know, Jim
50:20
Harbaugh win a playoff game in so long.
50:23
So, you know, there's include in inclusive, like, you know, data
50:28
there. I'm not really terrified of the
50:31
Chargers as a wild card team, but the Ravens, like I said, the
50:34
Ravens are currently at 3:00 and 5:00.
50:36
But Lamar Jackson's back and when he's on the field, he's an
50:38
MVP candidate always. I think if the Ravens can go on
50:42
a run here, even getting into the wild card like you said, or
50:46
maybe even jumping the Steelers back into the lead, they're
50:50
always a threat and the Bills seem to find them in the
50:53
postseason more often than not. So I think I would say probably
50:56
the Ravens if there was a wild card and seemed to sneak up.
50:59
Yeah, because it's so funny that you mention about the Ravens is
51:02
because they went through a plethora of injuries and I think
51:06
for the first time all season they have nobody on the injury
51:09
report. That to me is pretty significant
51:11
given the fact that with their track record, they've been in
51:14
the playoffs. I believe they were in the AFC
51:15
championship game a couple years ago and they've have the track
51:19
record with John Harbaugh and DeMar Jackson being the playoffs
51:23
to compete. So I think I'm with you there.
51:25
And I think that if they can go win the division that that's I
51:30
still think that's still a possibility depending on what
51:33
the Steelers do, right? Like it could, could you see
51:36
those two cut down the wire like if if it goes that way with the
51:40
AFC North? Oh, 100%, yeah.
51:45
I mean, we haven't really seen, you know, good Aaron Rodgers
51:51
since like 2022. So he doesn't scare me down the
51:54
line, especially with the roster that they have.
51:57
I think there's some serious holes along the offensive line
52:00
and at the linebacker position for them.
52:02
So, yeah, I think the Ravens have the talent to kind of make
52:07
that late push. They just made a trade for
52:09
Draymond Jones. So it shows you they're not
52:12
punting on the season. They're very much so looking
52:15
forward to getting into the mix here.
52:17
They've kind of dealt with some injuries as well.
52:20
But now that they're healthy, like you said, I mean, this is
52:22
the team is as good as as good as anybody in the AFC with Lamar
52:27
Jackson and Derrick Henry at the home.
52:28
So. So who would you say are the
52:36
players on this team that are next in line for extensions for
52:41
the Bills? Oh, I think you got to say
52:44
Connor McGovern. I believe he's a free agent at
52:46
the end of the season. And obviously you want to keep
52:49
the continuity upfront with them, especially at center,
52:52
somebody that Josh Allen directly works with every single
52:55
play. I think it'd be wise to get him
52:57
back locked up. Off the top of my head, who's a
53:01
free agent after this year, I can't even think.
53:03
Jaquan Jones, Matt Milano. You could see Matt Joey Blouse.
53:07
Yeah, yeah. So.
53:11
I think if Bosa continues to be a pass rusher for you, then
53:15
yeah, you gotta lock it, You gotta try to bring him back.
53:18
And that kind of might not that be that hard because it seems
53:21
like he loves it here so far. Well, we have that.
53:24
Milano extension. Look, go ahead and sorry.
53:28
No, no, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, finish off.
53:30
What would a map Alano extension look like?
53:33
Just because his ability to stay on the field is past few years
53:38
has been, you know, it's been a little tough for him to be out
53:41
there. So you think that would affect
53:43
the numbers at all? Yeah, I think it would affect
53:46
the the turn like the how long it is.
53:52
I don't I can't imagine the Bills wanting to lock up injury
53:55
ridden player for longer than two years.
53:57
So I think it'd be a one year deal if anything.
54:00
He's still a really good player when he's on the field, but he's
54:02
never on the field. So, you know, Dorian Williams is
54:06
still young. Terrell Bernard has kind of had
54:09
not a great season. So, you know, maybe they draft
54:12
the guy in this coming draft knowing that Matt Milan was old
54:15
and could be on his way out and Terrell Bernard hasn't played
54:18
his best ball. So, you know, they kind of have
54:20
Joe Andreessen taking snaps. So it's a weird position for the
54:26
Bills right now. I don't know how it's going to
54:27
look at the end of the year, but a lot of that will ride on how
54:30
they play going down the line here.
54:34
So there's a rumor out there, and I don't know if you heard
54:38
about this or seen this. I know that Joe Brady it's going
54:42
to be a hot commodity once again for the Bills and when it comes
54:47
to the coaching jobs in the NFL. And there was a rumor about him
54:50
being the next LSU coach in football.
54:52
And let's just say if that is the thing for Joe Brady because
54:57
he his name is going to get brought up year in and year out
55:00
and he's got it. He's going to get a job
55:01
eventually. Once all said it done if there's
55:04
a replacement out there. And I was thinking about this
55:07
for weeks and weeks now with let's just say Brian Dabo gets
55:11
fired. Or if there's anyone else, would
55:14
you bring bring bring him back into the Bills OC if he if it
55:18
becomes a possibility or if there's anyone else, Because I
55:21
know that Brandon Bean always finds guys.
55:23
But if if that's the case, would you consider that?
55:29
I think Brian there will be a fun hypothetical, but I don't
55:33
believe Brian Daable and Sean McDermott get along the best
55:36
together. So I don't know if that would be
55:38
a viable option for them. I think there's there's a few
55:43
guys. It's going to be weird cuz you
55:45
still don't know who's going to be on a contract or not.
55:48
I know the Bills like to hire internally a lot, so if Joe
55:51
Brady were to get a deal somewhere else, maybe they
55:53
would, you know, elevate A quarterbacks coach or receivers
55:56
coach. I think Kelly Skipper's there at
55:58
running back coach. So it would be interesting to
56:01
see. I don't know off the top of my
56:03
head because we're still so early into the season, like
56:05
we're not even in December football yet.
56:07
So you know, it would be a fun thing to follow for sure.
56:13
Well, Justin, that that was fun and I, I hope this doesn't
56:16
become a lost tapes once again, but we appreciate you being a
56:19
guest once again. Congratulations on your upcoming
56:23
podcasts and let everybody know in social media and everywhere
56:26
else where you can, where they can find you.
56:28
And and if you want to talk a little bit more about where you
56:31
can find your upcoming podcasts, you could you could let them
56:34
know. Yeah, so you can find me on Axe.
56:39
That's where I do most of my work at Justin C Jack JUSTINS
56:43
i.e. JAK.
56:45
Like I said, I've got a podcast coming soon.
56:47
You can find all the additional information on that.
56:49
I'll be posting in the next couple couple days kind of
56:53
teasing towards it, so you can learn more about that there.
56:56
And yeah, guys, thanks for having me on.
56:57
It was a blast. I'm always down to talk.
56:59
Also, this was great. Yeah, it was awesome to have
57:02
you, man. You know, anytime you want to
57:04
come back, you're always welcome here.
57:06
So we love talking ball with you, man.
57:07
So it's been it's been an interesting season to say the.
57:13
Least but. You know, we'll, we'll see how
57:15
it goes the rest of the season. So thanks for coming.
57:18
Hopefully we get you. Back.
57:21
Sure thing. Appreciate it guys.
57:23
We will place the description below where you can find Justice
57:26
C Jack on social media. But till next time, take care,
57:29
be kind to each other. Signing up from the Sports Ave.
57:32
Twisted podcast on Thursday, November 6th, 2025.
57:36
Buffalo. Is happening now.
57:39
We're on the moon now. The fields are happening now.
57:41
We're making it happen now. We've got the spirit.
57:45
A lot of spirit. Yeah, we've got the spirit.
57:48
Just watch it happen now. Hey.