Best Interviews on WGR: August 31-September 4

0:00It's Mike Schoep and the Bulldog. Quinn walks it out to the slot shot scores. Matthias Samuelsen, are you kidding me? Pass to the bumper spot, that one back in front scores. Side to the net. Hot Wheels McLeod, parked in the right spot. And the Sabers take a two-nothing lead. Here's Zucker, left side, two on one. Zucker with Hellers, Hellers shoot scores! The kid is done it again! Kahn's the Hellermus! They mob him at the far boards! Really excited about what our group did this year. The energy that our fans brought, the energy in the city, where we got to in the second half of the year. I think the playoffs were a group that had never been before. I felt really proud of the battle in our team, the desperation. Some of the situations they faced for the first time. I can tell you that that was proud of the way they handled it. It's Mike Schoep and the Bulldog on WGR Sports Radio 550.

1:05Hello, that was Lindy Ruff. And if my information is correct, this also is Lindy Ruff with us now. I'm the Wester Hotline, light-shoping the Bulldog. Thanks for listening. Lindy, we don't often have guests right away. So if you don't mind our starting the conversation off with a question that maybe we would have been talking about apart from your visit, what colors should the end zones be? What do you think? What's your thoughts? I have no idea. Let's have them green. Green works for me. I like that Bulldog. Just like green. Green. Green. Yeah, green. Green color is the... I'm not a really complicated guy, so let's stick with... I mean, I know the bills here. You really got some red, they got some blue. But let's stay green. I gotta tell you, the fan sentiment has been very strong for nostalgia. It always is with both the teams here that we talk about regularly, Lindy. So red, people want red because of the 90s. And I saw Picoelli put out a poll and there's four choices.

2:09And I like the blue one best. I think the blue one looks best with the logo at midfield and so... I voted blue. Agreed to disagree. You and Lindy again at odds. I gotta be honest. I didn't know there was a debate about the end zone color. Lindy, there's a debate about you. There's a debate about everything. That's the reason we'll be out of jobs. I don't think we need you to care about that, so that's fine. This is so cool. I mean, I know the occasion today is that the Sabers and WGR are continuing their relationship. I meant to look this up and I'm not that good at this, so I didn't. But it's possible that Sabers games were on these airwaves when you were drafted. I don't channel two then had the games with Ed and Pat Hannigan and those guys. It's a long time ago now, but there's a pretty good history between us. Yeah, what a tremendous relationship and congrats to everybody there getting the deal done and having you guys back.

3:10I'm looking forward to it. You guys have been a great sports crew and it's been a great relationship. Let's keep it going. Is there a particular time you would be willing to share that we drove you crazy? Whether that was like most of your visits have been with the morning guys, but like they must have made you mad a couple times. Now, you know, it's probably the fondest memory going back was actually driving to the studio and being with Bulldog. I don't know if you can remember the year, but it probably late 90s. We did that. Yeah. I don't even know what night, maybe a Tuesday night or something like that drive in and we'd get through it. So no, I got a lot of respect for you guys and what the job you're trying to do and. Find something to talk about and there's controversy every day and whether you win or lose this. We try to make it interesting for you for sure.

4:11So did you bug me at times? Damn right. Let's hope if we didn't, I mean, we should be replaced. I remember you coming in like that. That's you did. I think a regular gig with Kevin Sylvester for a time and I probably filled in a few times because Kevin and I have been co-workers on and off. We had it's been off for a very long time now, but early on we would together at B.E.N. Then he was gone for a while and then we'd are we'd together over here. But anyway, yeah, those were days. I'm with Avenue WBN that old nighttime show. We did plenty of that. Yeah, we all go back, man. Like it's one of the things, Lindy, like it was so important that the team broke through last year like they did with you as the head coach. Because I don't mind telling you, I don't know if this little land badly, but when you came back, the state of the franchise had been so. That I didn't want it to damage how people felt about you because you're such a beloved figure in the history of the franchise.

5:12Like Mike said, drafted, played here, coaching career and then on to other places and then now back here. And I for me selfishly, the admiration I have for you, I needed something good to happen and thankfully it did. Yeah, by any means it wasn't easy, as you recall, with the way we started and you know, I've gone through last year and I go through early on all the stuff that D'Auline dealt with and then Norris getting hurt in the first game versus the arrangers and. Benson dealing with the I ankle injury and you know, once we got through all that, we, you know, the vision of what I thought the team could be really, really came around and we got some tremendous play and. We had a lot of players that took big steps in understanding that again, we're going to hear coming up where everybody in our division in our conference. All they all think the playoff teams and there's all this teams that have really think they've improved and we know at the same time that we have to improve that guys have to take another step forward and.

6:16It's not going to be an easy task. Lindy, if this isn't too close to the same question, just wonder how you feel about your team right now versus a year ago. I mean, I, you always sound have sounded very optimistic. That's how coaches tend to sound, you know, about their team like in public, especially. For me, this moment here leading into training camp is very different than last year because last year it was all kind of just like, all right, you got to show me first. Now you had last year and expectations are higher. Like maybe you felt that optimistic last year that you might get to, I mean, 109 points in first place. I don't know, but the season you had versus now. I mean, is it how is the job or your outlook on things different if it is at all from a year ago. I don't think the outlook has changed that much just just knowing that there's a lot of work to do that we've got some, some players that stepped into our lineup and played extremely well.

7:23And I think they're just scratching the surface and. You know, I can go to players like, you know, Sam is and then Quinn and then you can go to Austin and that guy that was missing that I had a long conversation with yesterday that isn't town. He looks great. He's been skating is cool. You know, and then the hell in this step in the playoffs and he was a real good player for. So, you know, I'm excited about where we got to knowing that, you know, everybody's got to take another step that, you know, shortened the summer, which is always a good thing. Less time to train. Most of the guys are back in town right now and I'm excited. You know, for the most part, all the players are anxious and ready to go. How are you feeling about the veterans that you did lose? Because it feels like, you know, significant guys talk and assistant captain by room somebody who really help make you guys go back there.

8:27And it seems like you're maybe going to be counting on as it stands younger guys to fill all that in and there's some pretty big shoes to fill there. Yeah, for sure. I think when you look around the league, the good teams, the teams that, you know, have a great year. There's always one or two players that have to move on and make room for a younger player. I think Carolina has probably the greatest example that a lot of good players have come in, a lot of good players have left. And they remain consistent and they believe in the players they have. The players you mentioned talk and bow. Great players for us. We're a big part of our regular season, big part of the playoffs. I still think that our defense is is the strength of our, our top four. You know that you look at right now and we got a guy like Zellweiger who's stepping in and we got crevier and another big guy that will be stepping in.

9:28I feel that is still going to be our strength. Are we going to miss him? We are going to miss him. But it's another opportunity. I think that one power took a big step is ready to step in and and be a huge factor in in the way we play and all assets of our game, whether it's penalty killing power play. I thought where he got his game to the end of the regular season and playoffs was fantastic and when I, when I talk about talk, I have a lot of admiration for you know what he's done for the franchise, what he's done for the team. But feeling that you know, a guy like don't can can play more, Benson can play more that we've got Quinn, Helene, Austin, we've got a list of players that are ready to take that next step. I think that's going to be a great, a great, a great leadership role and the playing role in a lot of different situations. With Lindy Ruff, Mike Schopen, the Bulldog here on WGR on the occasion of the station and the team jointly announcing a continuing partnership and the games will be on WGR.

10:34And you're nice by the way, Lindy to take questions that are not about us. So we appreciate that. I've never played high level sports, need I say so, but I've met hundreds of people that have and most of my experience with athletes is they don't want to look back. You know, like there's not that much value in it necessarily. I wonder though respectfully about yourself. I mean, you've been in the game for almost 50 years professionally. And you know, you're coming up on the top names in the history of the sport in terms of wins and games coached. Do you think about that ever like can you find time is it even in your interest or is it something that you have an instinct for it to be reflective or do you sort of fend that off and just think about the next day or the next season. How do you go about that? Well, I think the one thing is I've been humbled by the opportunity I've been given in many places.

11:37My first opportunity here playing and then coaching and now this second opportunity to come back and coach. And not many guys get that opportunity. So I've been blessed in every guard. I think I was blessed to play the game for 12 years in NHL and then the year in America League, a year in the international league. And stay healthy enough through that to, you know, to play the game. So every day I'm thankful for, you know, the path I've taken. I don't look at why you're you're hearing your career, you're with this guy and whatever guy did what I get a lot of satisfaction of seeing players grow and develop and become really good players. And I think when I step up this year, I look at some of the names that I mentioned previously. I want to see those players again continue to grow and and make this a really good hockey game.

12:37A really good, my goal is to have this to be a really good consistent hockey team that we're right there year after year. So no one to look back at last year. I don't want to look back at, you know, my coaching career or my playing career. I just want to look forward to this year coming up and and make sure that with this opportunity, we can become that team that consistently a lot like the build our now playoff team every year now for for years. That's what we need to become. I think this might be a similarly themed question to the one that Mike just asked you, but I'm curious if this maybe is in a little bit of a different lane. Do you ever sit back? Maybe this would be something that would happen when you talk with people maybe no longer work with or even played with in the past. Just how much the game has evolved from the point where you entered in the in the late 70s or 80s and to where it is now. I mean, it's been there's a lot. There's been a lot of different iterations. I feel like of the league and I've been fond of since I don't know the last five six seven years, maybe a little longer.

13:47Feeling like you're over a year. I feel like the league has never been a better watch because of the skill and talent that there is now that I think it's more opportunity than it ever has. I was curious for you're kind of overall. It's a very much a 30,000 foot view and I don't know how ready you are to talk about, but there's been a lot you've been around. I mean, I'm sorry to say you've been you've been through a lot. Yeah, I've been I wholeheartedly agree with you where the game is. It's come from to where the game is at now. The talent, the training, the skill in the game. Some of the changes that have been made in the game, you know, you remember when you came we came out of lockout in 0405 or 0506, whatever it was. And they said no more hooking no more holding and we had an unbelievable team. We went through camp knowing that if you know we could play these four lines and likes to offend again off and you name it all the we had high skill.

14:47We had Derek Roy. We had all kinds of players. We all kinds of skill. And I think there's one of the first lap regular season games we had like 12 power plays. But just to change that to allow the skill to perform at their utmost is made a big difference in the game. I just say right now I probably want to mail the play in today's game because that was really good at hooking and holding. And latching on to guys and slowing them down and you know you cover your defense when you stick your stick through his legs and you hang on to them and that was never ever called. So today's talent the way they train the number hours they spend in the summer that gets a 12 month game now where the game where I came from in the 70s was you finish the season took a little bit of time off you got ready. But I think that's almost every sport, you know, has developed along the way our sport with the speed of the players, you know, when you look at I look at last year, back malice and being the fastest guy in the league.

15:53He's primarily playing on our you know our fourth line. That tells you a lot about the game right there. You know a guy that can ski like that and can end up with a 24 point some mile an hour skate inside of a game. The game is fast, the game is skilled and it has changed a lot from no red line to you know moving the line out from from the end boards to give it more room to operate below the goal line. So there's been a lot of changes. No red line was an idea if I remember correctly that you championed back 20 years ago the off the you know not right. Linda is that correct for correct. Yeah. I actually was for a while was a proponent of trying to make the net a little bigger. And I think the alternative that was what the league is done with the gold tenders and cutting down their pads, cutting down the blocker. You know having having a mechanism in place to make sure that gold tenders are overcooking their equipment from the size of their pants to everything.

16:59Everything is monitored now, which in reality has made the net bigger and it has made it. You know where all of a sudden scoring is back in the game and and the skill is operating in a high level because there for a while the scoring was. It was again pretty tight. It was a. And I'm going to say this honestly I thought it was a little bit for a while while I was coaching a little bit of a boring game. Until they loosened everything up. Well yes I mean Bulldogs question runs deep I mean it's been very different over like waves of changes since the 70s and the 80s and then even since you know 2006. But I never thought it was going to be possible. I thought if they don't make the net's bigger there's just no hope for this because everybody's too good. The goalies Bulldogs kid. I don't know if you know him. He works here now. Just like a top player and like what do you do against this guy you sort of sit down to watch a game and here's a six seven goal you take up the whole net like.

17:59I don't know what to do here. I'm just going to have to try to lob it over his head. I don't even know. Well it's it's great to see it's great to see and it's great to see the sabers line up with. Yeah much like 20 years ago with your team speed and yeah you know all that said Lindy it did you know I didn't I was talking for a long time when I put it in the net. I was talking for a long time when I posed that question so I had to shut it down at some point it's a problem I have sometimes. But the other piece of that is I feel like a team like Florida the last few years. Tampa I think had a mind to try to push you guys around a little bit that famous eight seven game late in the season felt like them sort of like all right you young hot shot punks we're going to show you what's what I feel like it's sort of swung. There's still a ton of speed and skill but I feel like the physical part of the game has sort of I don't know if they've broken down the door entirely but it feels like they've gotten it's coming back into the game it feels like.

19:01Yeah you know I think there's there's an element of physicality that you need with your team and I and you still need it I think. Well I mean that was really you just mentioned a game that I I think was one of my favorite games in the year we know we jumped off to the big lead for one. We give up that lead you know there's lots of chaos fighting inside the game and and and all of a sudden all of a sudden you're looking at a game that's tied and then we get a power play and we go ahead in the game and the game ends up being eight seven. But Tampa does have a little reputation for you know trying to bully and you know I think our guys answered the bell which was great to see and you know I think it was a question that was always asked I know we we had a couple of issues the year before but I think you know our leadership on our team came to the forefront and I think we answered almost every you know every question we needed to answer this year and and we really grew as a group which you know that's all you want to see as a coach.

20:05Before we let you go Lindy so this has been something that's sort of like been in the back of my mind for many years. Often you would do our morning show and we would talk to Darcy Regier in the afternoon once a week bulldog pretty much at the arena on a Friday night we talk Darcy would come by and I've known him since I got to Buffalo back to Buffalo 26 years ago. And finally Lindy after many years I mustered the strength to ask him for his phone number so I could you know if I needed to know something maybe he trusted me and he would tell me so he gives me a number and then some other period of time goes by because I'm still sort of bashful and I call it and I'm on maple road just about to pull into this facility and a different voice answers the phone and I'm like hi Darcy and the other person who is going to be in the back of the game. And the other person says I think you have the wrong number I think it was you Mike Gilbert said to me once that you that was like a prank where you guys would give each other's number to people is that true can I find out finally after all these years.

21:14I don't I don't believe that's true. I find it but our numbers were so close that I can't see that happening. Honest mistake is that going to be your story honest mistake. Yeah, that's my story sticking to it. I mean it's a great bet if it were the idea it was it's a great bet. I've never thought to ask Mike if you know you dialed correctly like I imagine you that happens. I mean I might have typed it in wrong. I don't know who I was talking I thought I was talking to you but maybe I am now. Darcy a lot of Chris I'll give Darcy a lot of credit and you give you my number. I find that pretty funny. I told Bulldog right before we came on with you I wrote it down so now I have it. I can see it right here. I want you to try to call it when I see it because I've got the same number. Let me see if I have that number in my phone. I actually look I probably deleted it. I might have deleted all my contacts in that moment. I was so you know nervous.

22:15Like the level of sleuthing that is happening here is unprecedented. All right. Well, Lindy I hope everything goes well. Continue you know best of luck and try not to be freaked out if my 24 soon to be 25 year old kids starts asking you questions on the morning. So it's still very weird for me that he works here and I don't know. Time it does go by. He's following in some great footsteps so good for him and I'll look forward to talking to him. Thank you Lindy. Look forward to the season can't wait. Thanks for your time. You got a gentleman you're welcome. Bye. 716. I don't do that. No, that's I was going to say my number. But then he hung up so he doesn't need it. Pretty sure. He knows how to reach you. He can pull rank anytime he wants to do that out. All right. So the savers will be back on the station this year and that's exciting.

23:16And I'm so I mean I'm happy for everyone but especially Brian and Paul. Like those that's their that's their primary job here and Brian to have them finally have a successful season. After all of those seasons that they missed the playoffs that he presided over. I thought it would have been really really depressing if they left after that and were somewhere else and Brian's just started like. You're seriously. I've been almost 20 years of this. I waited this long and now they're good and now they're come on. So good for especially good for those two men. Mike show up in the bulldog here Paul Hamilton will join us later in between now and then Tom Tolesco former GM of the Chargers and Raiders. We have another announcement to make that he's connected to and St. Francis Buffalo Buffalo guy. And I heard him on serious XM the other night and then a certain other thing happened and like here we are going to be talking to Tom Tolesco today.

24:22So that'll be great. That's coming up at four Eastern green and zones. Lindy obviously is thought about it a lot and he planted his flag. Keep him green. What do you think 803 05 50 for us. We'll be right back. Josh Allen is just that dude. Okay. You got DJ more you got another receiver helping you out. You got a whole bunch of catch got cooking the backfield. You got a new coach and Brady that vibes with Josh Allen. Okay. The defense is expected to be better. We got to set up the and give the Buffalo girls love. This has got to be the year. This got to be the year. If it is they go have some questions to answer you know that about it. The Super Bowl appearance or plus with the squad. They know it. Let's see what happens. Okay. They just stay top three. Steven A on the bills. So we had a bit of a controversy here. Joe's not here to see my daily throwing away of a thing at the trash can.

25:26But in a bit of a cold streak it's tough. No questions at this time. I'm ducking the medium getting out of here. But the trash can is away from the wall a little bit. And when I threw it I managed to land the bottle in between the wall and the trash can. Which feels like that's a good throw. But I and these guys are on me for it. I threw it. Oh, I'm looked like you make it today. A lot of pressure. I got a lot of pressure to make that shot. And I'm on a cold streak. It's it's tough. Go back and check the film. Anyway, good morning. Jeremy and Joe Sneaky Joe. He's out today. Joining me on the western hotline and on the YouTube stream is Mr. Joe Biscale. There he is. I can see your face Joe and Joe B football your brand new fancy studio. Look at this. Joe, it's been a while. Welcome back to the airwaves of WGR where you uh you once interned for this show. Right? I did. Yeah, it's been a long time. Way back when I was just I was just thinking about it. I started as an intern there in 2008. Yeah. And um, became full time 2010.

26:26Yeah. So it's it's it's home. It's home to me. Yeah. And I was sitting in this chair the whole time and that is in no way pathetic that I'm still sitting in the same chair. I am still here. Anyway, um, well, good morning, Joe. Good to see you. See, it's funny like you got your new studio, your new project. Tell everyone about Joe B football, by the way, because I know you launched this and you know back in the day, I feel like people in the media would exchange makeup tips. And now what they do is they exchange podcast lighting tips. I'm asking you. I'm asking you. Oh, you get your backlight there. So anyway, tell everybody about the new project you got. Yeah. Joe B football is something I launched. You know, we we just had our our second kiddo this this past spring. And it was I've been calling it my my parental parental leave project. Okay. Just just to have enough time to do it. And yeah, it's something I've always been kind of kicking around to have this this outlet to be able to you know, do kind of combine everything that I've done in my career before, whether it be radio with when I when I work for you guys up until 2015. And then TV when I worked at Channel 7 from 2015 to 2019 doing video and radio all at once.

27:33It's it just seemed like kind of a natural natural fit and hopefully I can have some thought provoking a conversation about the bills along the way. So you can you can find it on YouTube. You can find it wherever you get your your podcasts. It's a it's it's really fun. We're a couple episodes deep so far. Very good. Well, I've got you here to talk about this bill season. And well, you Stephen A. There's the jumping off point Super Bowl or Boston. I had a little thought the other day that like the or Boston is for. You know, it's a bad season like make missing the playoffs would be a true bust not making the Super Bowl would be disappointing. But I want to get you on that one idea if not now when if not now there'll be some answers like what questions will there be if they if they don't make it because this is yes in the midst of the window. But it's also year one with a new coach and a new coordinator who I feel like has kind of laid the groundwork to say this is a turnaround of the defense. That's all to say like do you buy the bust thing it's this or bust.

28:33It's just this this season in general is just there's so much going on like so much new so much old all combined at one and it's it's tough to really get a gauge about what the expectations actually are. I mean because you look at it they've had they had Sean McDermott for all those years and now Joe Brady walks in takes over the job and it's like okay now you got to now you got to do the thing. But is it actually expectations for that within the building I think that's that's the bigger question so I don't know if it's an or bust situation I think they would very much like to get to the spot that they've been to the last seven years at least. So that is a certain degree of expectation if not better on it and hoping that that will help them help enable them to get over this hump that they're on but I mean this is for Joe Brady I cannot recall a time. Where a rookie head coach has had this high of expectations like on on my show last night I had Mike Sando on from the athletic doesn't incredible.

29:33And he polls executives around the league often and they had the bills as the very clear number one team in the AFC and I'm like have you ever seen this with a rookie head coach before he's like probably not it's it's very unique in that sense. So I think a piece of this is how much do how much do the bills expect out of Joe Brady but also you got to look around the AFC to because there you can poke some holes and a lot of these other AFC contenders rosters their positions what they've got wrong about them and if if you go about it it's like okay what's the lesser of all evils and I think for a lot of people that's the bills because of Josh Allen where would you poke holes in the bills right now is it the defense. Yeah it's because what I was going to ask is the getting over the hump right getting over the hump it's finding for more points or allowing for fewer points because they lose all these playoff games by three 27 24 33 to 30 these heartbreaking games where the offense has the ball and maybe there's a mistake or the defense gives up a late score.

30:38The difference is four points so where are the four points going to come from you feel like it's more likely that they score for more or that they allow for fewer. I think this is a what happens early in the season what happens late in the season situation because early in the season I think they're going to have some growing pains on defense so they might need to be a little bit of a shootout team to get things going because they've got some very obvious questions on defense that you know they would hope that Jim Leonard because he's a very bright guy and he's got head coach written off. He's got head coach written all over him if things go well here but if you have to overcome certain certain things I mean they still don't have that hell raising pass rusher off the edge that they've been looking for every single season well they had it in Von Miller until he tours ACL in 2022 that was the only time they've had that guy inside linebacker still a humongous question mark to me cornerback to is a ridiculously large question mark because they have no virtually no experience. There and a guy who is kind of struggled a bit in in camp so far Maxwell Harrison being their starter and then you don't know what you're going to get out of safety C.J. Gardner Johnson because he hasn't practiced pretty much in the entirety of camp so there are plenty of questions that defense which is leads me to believe that the explosive nature of the passing attack that they're trying to reinstall in 2026 I think that is going to be the thing that they look to lead the way early on here in in the season and then once again I think that's

32:06Jim Leonard gets a little bit more comfortable maybe they have guy step up in some of these problem areas that I just talked about and and then Leonard's really starts to learn who his team is on the fly I think that's maybe the second half of the season we could start to see the bills defense making a few more jumps then what they did early on it's trial by fire for Brady being here with the expectations but for Leonard I mean the first five games not just how good the teams are maybe Houston maybe not as much but the offense is they're going to play from Detroit to the chargers to the pay for its even and then the Rams I get is it's going to be a tough test right away and I I wonder if we'll be allowed them to have growing pains on this defense. Yeah I think you kind of have to it has to be baked in a little bit but you know that's that's easier said right now than done when you're feeling phone calls after the Lions put up like 40 points because they're also a shootout team because their defense is absolutely horrible heading into the season so there's just there's just a lot going on there and and and yes I think one of the

33:06fans if it gets to a situation where they're to like week 10 week 11 week 12 we're still talking about the same problems and this is like a defense that's ranked 20th to 26th and I think people are going to be a little bit frustrated but if if they start to you know eat their way up the rankings a little bit I think that's when the gym Leonard expertise will really start to yeah one it's funny one theory I've got is that shah Mcdermott leaving and the defense getting worse would ultimately lead the offense to need to do more and fuel fuel the belief the McDermott was holding back the offense because they'll have to cut it loose more because they need more points like I feel like there's this crazy scenario where actually defense got worse but but Brady looks good because McDermott's no longer there controlling the offense that's my favorite prediction for how it goes. Yeah and and that would not be at all accurate from everything I knew about the bills from from the first nine years like Sean Sean like I think what was misunderstood about him was that he wanted to run the ball all the time I don't think that's that's the case I think he just wanted to maintain the threat to run all all that stuff and then you know to help enable the passing attack a bit more but you know the receiver situation which you covered greatly over the last couple of years.

34:24Yeah and and kudos for that I mean I talked about it till I was blue in the face myself and wrote about it it's just it was horrible the last two seasons they use their best wide receiver last year as a de facto running back with all the behind the line of scrimmage stuff and it's because they couldn't separate down the field defense didn't respect them so there's only so much you can do so that's why I'm figure this is probably a good segue into DJ more. Yeah yeah so to DJ more like back to you said like what you know covering the team for so long with McDermott and you know that the I don't think the bills have exactly tried to sell the idea that everything that was bad was him but there's a there's a desire to believe that he would have had his fingers in this or in terms of the way the offense is run because the wide receiver point you know like you said we talked about it for years and years there are bills fans that think that's because McDermott didn't want those players and they just wanted a full draft of D. Yeah no no that's I don't I don't think that is the case whatsoever I mean I'm fairly certain Sean McGurman and Stefan Diggs had a tremendous relationship the two of those I think they they're very different but they also understood each other so I don't think that was really the case as to he's just like no give me a corner give me a defensive and I think that's really a byproduct of the NFL that they were going into and they were going to be a lot of the same thing.

35:48There are areas of weakness heading into those specific drafts where they had digs for all these years and like okay here we go and then but they did draft key on Coleman so they did address the wide receiver thing and like okay let's see if this works in in this route because that's the highest receiver draft pick that they've made since since being arrived and I'm not counting the digs trade that that to them was addressing it and it just didn't work so it really comes down to who works and who doesn't do you think Coleman has a solid role on this team now that he's maybe looked too less. Yes and I think now that the expectations are off him I think he's going to maybe I don't think he's ever going to lead the team and receive or anything like that I think he could catch some people by surprise like oh look at that red zone target and he came down with it. I've never thought about him since since studying his tape coming out I've never considered him to be that lock down number one potential sort of guy I think he is always

36:51really projected to me at best as a two or three within an offense and that has a role especially in today's NFL because everyone's getting bigger. Receivers are getting bigger the the defenses are getting bigger the the people they use at nickel and safety are getting bigger it's it's so cyclical in the NFL and Keon I think can help them in that respect in red zone and jump all situations but he's still got to go do it like this is this is now year three this is his last chance there's really no better opportunity he's going to have maybe for the rest of his career unless he puts it all together this year. You mentioned the secret DJ more will get there and then wrap up like with more I but before they made the trade Joe my feeling on more was I'm going to need to be convinced that this is the best idea because a trade contract then the trade happens and it did seem like a steep price to me but at the end of the day like okay you addressed it in a way that is it showed you you knew you needed it very badly right so that and then as we go along.

37:58I'm warming up to the idea that maybe his style of play for Ben Johnson was just not what Ben Johnson's looking for a piece this detail oriented guy and maybe in the Joe Brady and Josh Allen system he can freelance a little bit more and that can work. Are have you warmed to the idea of more did you like it from the start where on the the range of outcomes you think what's the most likely outcome for how more fits in the offense and what it means for the offense. Yeah the price tag was always a little steep I mean that's the equivalent when you when you factor in the swap that's the equivalent of the final pick in the second round that's that's a that's a steep cost for 29 year old receiver and then paying him on top of it that's just that's just basic math in the NFL but they were desperate I mean how long have we been talking about it and so the I always find just just from my position the best way to learn about a situation is not to listen to anything anyone has to say just go back and watch everything so I watched every single snap of DJ more last year and the thing that really stood out to me more than anything was just how much of a disconnect there was between he and Caleb Williams throughout the season and they just never could get on the same page until later in the year he was his style of route running is different from like the stereotypical number one type of guys but what he does have is the ability to burn teams deep and they have to respect it so they basically you know what I mean

39:25I used him as a decoy for a lot of the year and I don't think the bills are going to be using him as a decoy so transitioning to how this can go in Buffalo I am of the belief that he is going to be bring them out of the everybody eats era and give them a little bit more of like okay this guy's going to get 80 85 90% of snaps he's going to be out the out on the field of the time he's going to lead the team in targets what he does with it remains to be seen but I think him and the connect with Josh Allen so far there are reasons for optimism but still he's only averaged a little over I think 870 yards per season over the last two so you do have to have a certain degree of skepticism about it too. Yeah right. Is Dalton can't give us say healthy there's one last question that's the million dollar question right. They he is so talented and he could give such a different dimension and he's been healthy all all summer long and the way that they've been using him during the open training camp practices you can tell perhaps like an enhanced roll on him is coming and so that's why I think the steam in the fancy football circles on him is somewhat warranted here but when you just it's it's a very tricky thing because all the sudden you have this guy who's this massive efficient route runner yards yards per route.

40:45I don't run guy leading the league at the tight end position and all of a sudden all you need is just his need a tweak one way because that's what happened the last couple years and then it's just all shut down and then you're dealing with Dawson knocks Jackson hausen kalecki Latu so it's it's such a huge up and down situation and but as long as they have him and I do think they want to get him out there on some more blocking snaps just to create like the the the decoy that play action could be a thing and play. action actually being more effective with him on the field I think that's that's kind of their plan for him heading into the season. Joe Biscale joining us on the western hotline from the joby football studios. I'm going to call the joby football studios thanks the time great work as always congrats on the new addition of the fam and good luck with the new project. Thanks man thanks so much for having me yeah joby scalia joining us on the western hotline built bills beat reporter for the athletic end again find all the stuff at joby football. Check out Joe's new project there on the podcasting side the video side the studio the home studio everybody needs a home studio everybody should get one.

41:53You just you just do what I did like I just put stuff behind me in my I've got one of my basement there and my studio has hats that's what I just did just hats. I've got my third floor my attic space that I just built into one the last couple of days so I've got to I've got to get something like that going to I'm getting ready to start some stuff up so I'll look at you look at you. 803.050 Patriots beat reporter coming up at 830 we're going to do another division all downloaded check them on the Patriots. One and done in the nine o'clock hour I like forgot that we invented the one and done segment we're going to get back to that. I know the whistleblower is itching to get back on the air yeah the power hour it's basically like a power hour but it takes yes it's good time you know it's good time 803.050 if you would like to chime in at any point you can I did see Mike variable was asked about the diner sceney report because the athletic close their investigation said we've moved on I have long been at the opinion like that thing dies the moment the season begins as soon as there's real football.

42:54I just don't think there's any chance that it is a ongoing story really at all that's my own belief so I'm glad for the season to begin so we can all going to put that behind us. One other thing I wanted to get you was it. Oh I had a let's get stupid yes I have a let's get stupid for you Austin Abbott. Guy on Twitter asked a question about the draft and kickers so whatever this is a submission that I found not exactly directly to the show if you ever want to ask a very stupid question and have us. Discuss it at length just right one into us and say hey do this for let's get stupid so Austin ever ask this question. Would you be mad if your favorite NFL team used the first overall pick on a kicker but you were guaranteed he'd make every kick from 60 yards or closer his entire career.

43:55Would it be worth the one oh one every kick inside 60 he will make for the first overall pick what kind of draft are we talking about. Let me see the big board yeah is this 2017 or is this like is this a year where our guards going first yeah what's the deal respect the guards yeah peace and love. One oh one kicker imagine that the scouting report to be he's never missed a kick really never no never never he's never missed a kick and he will. High school college he's literally never missed a single kick was got to miss one eventually does he reminds me of the Zach Metza conversation of the savers. Well it's all luck is it let's keep going until we find out it definitely one oh one on a kicker that never misses from inside 60 what's this percentage outside 60 that's zero or is that 50 is it a guaranteed miss outside of 60 that would do it 60 and in every time you get three points.

44:59And one oh one is pretty tough it's pretty tough it's a lot maybe if you ask first round pick but again you get to the 43 yard line you have three points got three points count it. It is valuable I mean what's in the stat that like the best scoring offense of all time basically scored a field goal per drive the Patriot is at the Patriots yes yeah with the board stuff in 2025. I got the college football points per drive I want to team offense NFL right would a field goal per drive great you have to get to the 43 and every one of these drives right but the average drive points per drive in the NFL the highest scoring season in the league history points per drive were 2.2. Yeah okay. I take in all the bad offense is to sure that's average I think one oh one one one now one might be to reach to reach yeah I hope you don't meet that guy in the playoffs and he gets to the 43 yard line I would

46:08think I was going to send you your game I would hope that the guy I the edge rusher I get one dot two forces a sack fumble you know fans are clearing out as he steps in from 53 yards we know he never misses I like that one yeah that's a good one I mean one dot one that's pretty tough stuff all right on the Patriots when we get back Justin Turpin of W E I will check in on New England's off season they still have a hold out they still have a guy that's a bad one that's I'd be in there railing on ownership to be honest you got to have the money to play to pay Christian Gonzalez and I I don't know does he want to reset the market okay that's what happens it's how the league works to not give that guy a top contract and go into a season at odds with a star player I think that's a bad look especially when you got a quarterback in a rookie contract like Drake may is now that won't be for much longer but we'll get Justin Turpin thoughts on that when we return you can give us a ring as well here on WTR

47:20I'm number three rolls long here in the Northtown automotive extra point show Zach Jones dare Kramer here on a Friday as we've got a lot of college football over the weekend the Labor Day weekend and then next week begins the NFL season on Wednesday with a football rematch between the Patriots and the Seahawks and we got a few more days and then the bills will open up their season next Sunday on the road versus Houston Texans and for more on the preseason and the training camp that was in some thoughts on what is maybe to come we go to the western hotline as Matt Perino of Syracuse dot com and host of the shop podcasts along with Ryan Talbot joins the program Matt good afternoon how's your summer been man. Summer has been great man I can't believe it like we do we get to change on the fish and I feel like you blink and we're on the cost of week one so it's um it goes fast.

48:23It's a beautiful time of year football's back I was actually listening you guys a little while ago talk college football it's like we're in it man we're we're we're we're we're we're read out ready to go we have our day off on Tuesday of anything football and then it's just consuming it up in one forever now. That's the way I like it though. Exactly. We're all here for right we spend nine months talking about what could be finally into what is right absolutely I'm telling you Tuesday's the best time for the hell of a trade it is it might be just it will be the last moment of a season right before the football takes over Matt real quick on couch football you somebody like this weekend are you just going to kick up on the recliner hang out with the kids and watch all the games or are you going to be more like I'll check in on it as I go. I'm not going to be a big strategic um you know the day job precludes me I think from from watching football in the same way because I'm just around it all the time so I don't necessarily watch college football like as intently as some do. Plus this is like a busy time of year like my son's playing football my daughter's playing basketball and softball at the same time it's like it's hectic but it's you know one football star it's like there's always a game on in the background somehow.

49:35I'm sure you get to that point where you got max on Tuesdays in a couple weeks to where it's just like on a random day it's seven I guess I'm watching Easter Michigan today like I guess so and then Saturdays it's it's the exact same thing but Matt let's let's look to the bills we've still got a little while here until they've got their opening day game at Houston. You know we don't have to necessarily go through the entire off season but just like your thoughts on camp I you know I was never somebody that necessarily disliked the DJ more trade but I was curious to see what he would bring to the bills and it seemed like for all of training camp and a little bit of the preseason he looked about as good as advertised if not more so. Funny because we were we did a show yesterday on shout with Josh read and Carl Jones from channel four we do kind of a collab show once a week in season and we talked about okay who's somebody that the bills had three players in the NFL top 100 who's one guy that you predict will be on this list that isn't next year and I think all four of us were an agreement that it was DJ more and I went back and look DJ more is never been an NFL top one.

50:44100 guy and you know he's had four one thousand yard seasons I think you have about 1300 one year like he has been a top tier receiver for seasons in his career and I just think that what goes into that is twofold number one it's a fresh start where I feel like everything is going to be funneled through him where in his last stop for the last season with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson he was kind of like this set up guy for everybody else whereas I feel like this is going to be the best thing I've ever seen. Back to what he knows best which is going to get a lot of targets he's going to be on the field of time I mean he was heavily targeted throughout all of the summer when he got to the preseason in those couple series that he was on the field I think he was what 10 snaps three three catches four targets so just you know extrapolate that out to what this could potentially look like for the season and that makes a lot of sense and the other piece of this to me is Josh Allen right like this is the best quarterback he has ever played with and an opportunity to do something really something.

51:44Especially last year was the first year where he really got to make a run at you know I don't want to say super ball but like success in the playoffs you know he had a little bit of the talent of cam I think in Carolina but nothing to what I think it could be in Buffalo this year and he he feels rejuvenated in a lot of ways and he's he is definitely in his prime still how many more years of his prime is left that's to be determined. But in terms of what this could potentially mean for this offense it's what it was sorely missing getting a bonafide number one and I think what the question he answered this summer more than anything else is that he still is a number one wide receiver the other thing that's kind of hanging the back here though you mentioned that this is the opener in a couple days here. He was banged up in the preseason game he got hurt he ended up you know coming back for the joint practice and pushing through it and playing through it. Is that something that's lingering at all we don't know the details too much of that injury is he a hundred percent to start the season that's kind of on the outside of my mind but in terms of what he means to the offense I think Josh Allen has just been absolutely thrilled with his addition speaking receivers banged up a little bit Matt Cluel Shakir Keon Coleman both also dealing with some injuries throughout the remainder of preseason but one that dealt with injuries last year Josh Palmer seemed to have had a fantastic camp.

53:12Very good in the preseason and seems to be showing a little bit more of the promise of the contract that was signed last year. I mean there was no play to me this summer that indicated more so the fact that Josh Palmer is healthy than him in one-on-one coverage beating Maxwell Harrison deep on the field to the point where you know here is coming up the growing so I want to bake that into this but he was you was over a week back at that point and Harrison had no other recourse than to from behind push Josh Palmer down or else it was going to be a 50 yard touchdown and I think if you think about you know Josh Palmer was signed for three years and twenty four is $1 million he came into the season last year where we were asking the question like is Palmer the number one on this team at wide receiver on the outside of the key and Coleman going in the year two that way he was in the conversation as well. So I think that's a fast forward a year and now we're talking about Josh Palmer is kind of like wide receiver for a key on healthy because I felt like Keon was the second best boundary receiver throughout the summer that's not down playing how good Palmer has been I just think Keon has been that good throughout the summer which we we told the story before he tends to shine in that setting.

54:30So both of these guys Keon and Josh I think enter the season with so much less expectation on them to carry the load what could that potentially mean for their twenty twenty six outlook and statistical performance now that they have somebody in DJ Moore that could carry that and then by the way you still have Koleo Shakir who's arguably the best spot receiver in the NFL or at least in the conversation and don't concaid who if healthy you hope to be a big part of this passing game to so I just think DJ Moore just fixes so many issues that this team has and I think Palmer set up to have a real contribution if you could say healthy. And that you bring up all of that to Palmer and I think in a key on especially it's led to outside of the final preseason game I think many of us sort of forgetting about Skyler Bell right he is dealing of course a little bit of an injury but it also seemed like a camp he wasn't necessarily making any headlines I it I wasn't at practices you can tell me if I'm wrong it more or less seemed because you wasn't necessarily getting the opportunities no one in front of him was was playing poorly enough to push him up but really the only thing we get from Skyler Bell is a really nice final

55:39preseason game but it has a kind of put him now like he's squarely wide receiver five and that's a good position to be in for the bills. Yeah the biggest headline on belt is off this off season in summer was the fact that he's been banged up multiple times started this senior ball. He got banged up there and up coming to rookie camp had a couple drops that first day but he was just you know talked about he was nervous gets through into OTAs and you're kind of waiting waiting and you get to many camp you show up and he's not out there and he's heard again fast forward to the start of training camp and you're right like all those guys ahead of on the depth chart they're not really feeding anything to him in terms of opportunities he got a couple of days like you know working with the ones and catching from Josh Allen but before long now it's another injury this time it's a growing and he's got to fight his way back through that and miss the first two preseason game so. It's good that he's been able to come back as quickly as he has both times but in a sense to a lesser degree this reminds me of what happened in Maxwell Harrison last year like behind the eight ball a little bit even when he got back he still kind of had to

56:46work his way back and it was never fully operational and until later in the season and injuries kind of played into that as well with other guys so I think Skyler Bell is super talented I think his long-term viability in this offense I mean the ceiling is super high I just don't know right from the rip if there's going to be enough opportunities and then you have to start asking yourself the question like does a fifth wide receiver make sense. Or do you want to activate a trend sure field off the practice squad because of what he gives you on special teams those are real questions that the bills are going to be talking about inside the building this week speaking of the practice squad and receivers thing Matt the punt return question mark is still relatively at large here I mean we saw him a cold hard man in that last preseason game I think effectively played himself off the roster with another drop Ray Davis muffed a punt so it does seem like there's still very good. On answered question about who's going to be returning puns at the end of the day here in week one against Houston.

57:51To me just reading the TV's and nobody said anything to me about this but it just feels like it's going to be clear secure on last somebody steps up in practice over the last couple days and then in the next week I ideally Greg Dorch and that they feel comfortable enough with him and they have the roster flexibility to add him on game day and I do think they probably do just given the numbers that they have on their 53 on offensive line and defensive line. They'll probably be able to get away with some leaner numbers and the fact that you're two second year safety DB Jordan Hancock and rookie Jalen kill go are both banged up right now I don't even know if they'll be ready to go by the text in the game so we monitor in that I think you love to get Dorch back there I think he's explosive the callio Shakira out is more of that you know passive safe like punt catcher role where is Dorch is a true electric return man and you know he's either that you're talking about this week he's been in the least six years.

58:55Undrafted guy that's bolster on the league that has had to earn and scratching off or everything that he's gotten so I wouldn't put it past them especially playing for. A special teams coordinator that he's very familiar with from his time in Arizona I wouldn't be surprised to be able to get ramped up and up to speed enough to be on the field and open her and then you also start looking about like are you who's banged up who's injured what are the bills going to do like that you bowery injury is still kind of hanging out there remember we saw him in a boot a little less than two weeks ago and he made it on the 53 but we've not seen him out there since and so if the bill gets a week one and his timeline is a little bit funny and you. Highland grave was not a swing tackle you put him on I are and I want to be surprised if you just bring Dorch to the 53 so he's there you don't have to waste practice squad elevations on him. On the western hotline Matt Perino bill's be reported for Syracuse dot com and. The host of the shout podcast with Ryan Talbot man I do want to get to the defense but I want to throw this last off into question at you I'm kind of.

59:56Juggling with it in my head I don't totally know if I want to lean into it yet before games have been played but based on what we've seen a camp based on you know just what's on paper could you argue this is maybe the most complete offense Josh Allen has had in his career I'm not saying that's the best I think in terms of star power you can probably go to the early 2020s and it's better but I look at it just it feels like every box that needs to be checked has a check mark next to it we don't know how good it's going to necessarily be but I don't know if they had nest in the game. So any weaknesses either on offense right now. Yeah I think the only real question that I have going in is like we haven't seen a ton with this offensive line like that first game the tackle play was a little bit worrisome and that's coming off of a year where I felt like you know Spencer brown played through a couple of injury I still think when healthy he is amongst you know the top five or six right tackles in the game and then you have D on dog. And then you have D on Dawkins who I think even himself this off season has talked about it coming off of a season where he didn't play to his standard and at his age you're wondering okay you come out have a couple of tougher apps and it's the first preseason game and I don't think anybody's over reacting to that but to me if you look like the wide receiver room is better the tight end room is as healthy and good as it's been I mean to keep collecting lots you and hearing what everybody is saying about him inside that building and the steps that he's taken or what he's saying is that he's going to be able to do that.

1:01:25Over the last 12 months they have an argument to be made that they got the best tight end room in the NFL and the diversity in that room to is really impressive with the skill sets and what they can all do the running back room is super talented you can make an argument to Frank or junior is probably the most talented practice squad running back in the NFL and he keeps landing back there and no other team is giving him an opportunity. High Johnson super good so I think to me the only question is how important is the loss of David Edwards who's been such a critical piece for them in the offensive line and then are you going to get two three years ago tackle play like you did from Dawkins and Brown at the height of this offensive line and then on the interior the other part of that is to like Conor McGovern seems to be ramping up I'm going to be ready to go but hamstring injury is something that. Sometimes that can linger if you 100% if you ready to go on the road against Houston for 60 70 snaps that's a question and you just extended a fire's torrent and I would say that like I don't even know if last year was his best year either so to me the offensive line.

1:02:34I think the line is the big question if the offensive line plays well I think they have a chance to be the most dynamic and productive offense in Josh Allen's career. You know Zach is positive this theory a lot here Matt so I guess it will be a need to be able to try to question the past to you here. Do you think this might be offensively top to bottom the most complete offensive roster the bills have had. Oh I'm sorry I apologize that I blanked on that one I'm sorry I didn't know that's except that word for word. Matt I think it's mostly because I was focused on the defense I'm like I need to ask a defense question defense question defense question to the defensive line though. How it has looked with Dion Walker he plays what nine snaps in a preseason game and how dominant he looks. How Ed Oliver and TJ Sanders and more importantly even Landon Jackson from a forgotten name and last year's training camp to maybe one of the more improved players on the defensive front.

1:03:35Do you think the transition to this new defensive front is going to really be able to help some of these players unlock a little bit more of the potential that the defensive line has Walker is this big threatening presence. Oliver is a player that has been very productive in the NFL. Yes and I think there's a couple of pieces to the defensive line that I think give you hope if you're like looking for them to be better than the group last year like Joey Boso was ineffective against the run and I think that's putting it kindly and I think it's a huge upgrade like. Really chauvin has the potential to be a ten plus that guy but what he gives you in making up the difference at run defense I think is so significant that that makes you also feel good about what this group is going to be able to do across the line. They got a lot younger this off season day one Jones was really good in his first few seasons with the bills but I would say that he wasn't as good last year and this is going to be an opportunity now for Dion Walker to take a much larger role and then you have three four maybe even five interior players that are going to be fighting it out for jerseys on game day.

1:04:54You know land in Jackson feels like he's elevated himself past tj Sanders which I think is a huge storyline going into the season I think they're still going to be active especially with Zane Durant hurt but when Zane Durant gets back from I are they're really excited about his past rushing ability and his ability to maybe spell at Oliver does that put one of those guys in jeopardy and is doing Carter going to even be in the mix. Bring grad gains is now here to probably be the primary back up to Dion Walker so I like the collection of talent that they've assembled and you know the one guy that I haven't talked about yet that I think probably get you the most excited because of the chest piece that you can be is Michael Hoyt how good is that look in a limited amount of time last year before he towards a keelie so a lot of talent lot of hope that I think with the way that Jim Leonard visions. Tweaking some things and prioritizing some of the skill sets on his defensive line that they'll be able to get some better results and more consistent results over the course of the season like at the highs of the shahmack their defense the defense of line was effective but it just didn't happen enough and it didn't happen consistently enough I mean no player probably been more dang down that then at Oliver over his career like a guy that has had some of the most memorable defensive singular performances in the

1:06:20McDermott Allen era but that it just because it happened enough so that to me is going to be the true measuring stick for me not so much what the highs are about how consistently they're able to sustain like pressure not getting just absolutely run on by by good running teams and then also you know getting out to the quarterback and so Ryan tell it on the show yesterday he is bold take for the defense this year is that they're going to leave the NFL and sacks I mean because you imagine what we'll be talking about in four months that ends up being the case that would be rather dope I would like that to be a prediction that lands perfectly there most because Matt there's still always questions on every level of this defense I mean we can talk about the four linebackers but the safety tandem cold Bishop C.J. Gardner Johnson they've a Gardner Johnson's a delight to hear anytime there's a microphone in front of him he seems to give you a fun interview but it's another year for Bishop in the back end Gardner Johnson he is a little bit more of this mercenary type now where he doesn't last very long wherever he goes goes but how do you think this

1:07:26is going to end up working here for a secondary that could use a little bit of stability since the days of hide and poyer yeah I mean what we're definitely going to be watching for C.J. Gardner Johnson right like he has a history and a reputation but I do think it's it's unfair to him to not point out the fact that everybody has a lot of things that we can talk to inside the building and I'm in there almost every day that were allowed to be in there like he has really done a nice job of getting himself acclimated into the building and as a part of this team like I see a guy that's that's meant a lot to a lot of people in that room or in on that defense and on this team and cold Bishop is the top of the list I mean I just saw those two of them interacting Bishop is super reserved guy like even when you know when he's on the field he's got use and all that stuff but you know when you talk to him he's not somebody that has a lot to say usually

1:08:30he's seeing him and Gardner Johnson interact I think that they've landed on something there and I think that we might look back on Gardner Johnson you know however long the tenure last as being one of the under the radar moves that really lifted this whole thing to where it needs to go sometimes it's about like so many coaches in the NFL talk about this and a lot of times it's lift service is like letting players be who they are right I think that that probably you know was maybe the biggest issue where he's been in the past and that he's not been able to be who he is they let him be who he is he's a little bit off the wall he's got a lot of energy he's got a lot to say there's a lot of other guys in the locker room like that I mean Deandalkins more than anybody has been like that for many years and so I don't I don't want to characterize CJ Gardner Johnson at this point as being some not the games haven't started so that's fair but I I think there's a lot of new energy on this defense it starts at the top with Leonard but some of the pieces that they brought in and some of the swagger and toughness that they brought in I mean Caleb Eelerms or I mean I've not seen that guy smile once in a while

1:09:43and a little time since rookie many camp and other people have mentioned that they've seen him crack one at one point I'm not seeing him smile once but you need some of those guys that like it's just about business and it's about being nasty and like Gardner Johnson has some of that and Eelerms or have some of that and I think even for as nice of a guy as he is and he might end up being a captain for the bills Bradley Chug I think he's got a little bit of that too on game day Matt last thing for me here we were talking a little bit of the secondary there right away with the safeties but the cornerback room I think one of the more surprising things come cut down day was that the bills are keeping very few boundary corners I think only three and then you have de Alfred and Jordan Hancock was that a little surprising to you and then also just kind of more of a blanket statement how do you feel about that cornerback room well it was not surprising to me and nor would have it have been surprising anybody listening to shout because we talked about this the lead up the Broncos kept five cornerback last year like that kind of their model is like to be young

1:10:44to be versatile in the room so you think about like Jordan Hancock who could play nickel corner and safety so that gives you an extra body in another room the Alfred could play you're starting slot corner but then he go out to the boundary if you need him to and oh by the way if you have to kick the about the Alfred out to the boundary that allows you to get Jordan Hancock on the feel more who might have had the best somewhere of anybody on the bill's defense if we're talking about just slash plays and it being impressive and everything like that the two young corners on the outside are the biggest questions max Harrison Davidson I think a lot of what we've seen from big bnoe but he's a rookie and max Harrison's the starter and he's going to get every opportunity to be the starter and be out there can you stay healthy is he going to be an issue and run support those are all valid questions and something that we're going to be watching for but in terms of how the roster was constructed you know I think there was a lot of you know the blueprint was set by how the the Broncos did it last year they they go light at corner they go light at

1:11:46Leimacher and they went real heavy on their defensive line and in a lot of ways guys that's like it's the modern defense right like being able to send waves up front and then rely on your talent in the back seven and strategically you know construct a roster that way and I think that's what the bills kind of follow suit under Leonard Matt real quick we're up on the clock here but you mentioned you know how Hancock became one of the brighter spots of training camp here the bills do have a little lack of star power on defense if you were to pick one to become that breakout candidate who would it be the season oh Dion Walker and I don't even know if the walker like counts as a breakout candidate anymore because everybody has him as the breakout candidates will be breaks out will that be considered a true break out the everybody was expecting it but now he's he's somebody that if you're looking at who could potentially change the complexion of this defense he's the guy up front it's got to be someone up front maybe even an ad

1:12:48Oliver to like really turn into a you know a double digit sacked guy but somewhere on that interior that defense a line is probably what I look Matt thanks so much for jumping out with us this afternoon we're going to people find your work as we get ready for the bills to kick off their season next weekend yeah all of our coverage is at Syracuse.com and Newark off state.com doesn't have a paywall so that might be the best place to go and then the shop bills podcast wherever you get your podcast YouTube audio side all that I'm an enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy the long weekend and we'll talk again soon. All right guys take care. Thanks Matt that was Matt Perino there on the western hotline as her covering the bills for Syracuse.com and host of the shout podcast we're going to take quick time out here real quick on the tenest side of things it's the third round of the US open Jessica Pagula struggling mightily here in her third round match up against Layla Fernandez losing that first set six to one or early in the second set it's one one each she is attempting to win her first ever grand major title with the US open she did make the final in this in 2024 we will though transition to the sabres a little bit when we come back a little bit of a

1:13:55late addition here as Brian Kose will host of our pre post and intermissions for sabres games and host of tea to green on Saturday mornings they've got one more tea to green show this this season before they wrap it up and of course the news yesterday that the sabres and WGR we've agreed on a multi year extension to keep having those games right here. So nothing's going to change on that front will get Brian's thoughts on all of that when we come back listening to the North and it's not on a more than a point show on WGR. Alright I get it. It's a good fail question. It's Mike's show and the bulldog. Is there time to change?

1:14:55You know the three teams I've drafted this year second class candy is pretty good on WGR sports radio 550. You know what I believe it or not that's a few years ago now and that team didn't work out and I think I know why. Never tell a team it's second class anything. You can't do that to it's bad mess. How did I know to avoid that you start you'll walk in the door and like here we go second class candy the players like what? Second class. Thanks wow really obviously you have a lot of respect for our talents. That was doing from the get go. Welcome back Mike show in the bulldog here happy Friday as we kick off Labor Day weekend with us now is a friend of mine from a few years ago. Jim Coventry of road a wire road a wire has been generous enough to lend us its talent throughout the football season Friday afternoons and that includes Jim.

1:15:58Who should know if he doesn't already from having talked to Adam and Jared. That Jim so bulldog and myself are playing golf tomorrow. On the heels of a main event draft with Adam Crosst and Jared Smola and bulldog claims not even know there was a draft he's not a fantasy player really. But you know I guess I will I love claims like you invited me you said you want to play golf on whatever date fifth of September yes in Rochester I'm like yeah. That was the invite so how was I supposed to know there I can even know there was an enemy you didn't tell me there was a fantasy don't you hear the name Jared Smola and just assume that there's a draft come on. Jim you there yes. I told you letting you letting you guys chop it up about Jared in the draft. That was a leading that was a great time. I'm sure it's true. I love that. I was waiting for a little more leg to the story was getting interesting but yeah good luck in the draft little draft. Probably ready to roll now really was pointless and I had nowhere to really end.

1:17:00I should have never begun but that's how we wanted to tell Jim that I was going to see Jared and Adam tomorrow. Because you know those guys introduced me to both of these men I've not met either of them. Yeah because you go back with draft sharks right Jim. Yeah back from 2008 to 2016 and then went over to road wire but yeah it was a great time working with the. Through a draft shark just a great group of people great product love those guys. So here we go I mean I guess maybe I can't get away with saying any longer that like here's draft season because it's probably mostly over. At this point with that I mean there's got to be some action here this weekend. I think a lot of local leagues are draft in the days yeah like you're smaller plus our thing tomorrow that I just forgot about suddenly. You know what what has been for you Jim like a story or two of the offseason this year that stands out as you look back on it. You know the biggest thing and this is going to impact real football more than it'll impact fantasy but it will have a trickle down effect. It's that the usage of extra tight end is going to be a thing and I remember before the preseason people were saying well the Rams used three tight ends 30% of the time I go that's true but it's a lie.

1:18:10They didn't start the week nine last year and they were using it 46 to 50% of the time and they used it until they had injuries at the end of the season but the point is this this year teams are going to use a second tight end more than ever. The teams have something are trying to get a third of another so what does that mean? Well it means one receivers on the field when you have three tight ends so you're going to see less wide receiver snaps. Pukin to cool was down to 62% of the snaps while we were playing those sets so this is going to have a trickle down effect that nobody really sees coming the slot position is dying out fast slots. That's where it go all time low so we're going to the way we watch football is going to be very different and the impact on fantasy football we're going to see more tight ends than ever have some production and maybe in deeper leagues it's worth drafting some of those later tight ends and flexing them instead of a moderate wide receiver how much if at all do you think that impacts the top tight ends like we had there's three of them on the field.

1:19:10I mean I guess I got like bowers is going to get whatever he's going to get like he's going to be a target and you know really the center of the passing offense I would assume but it makes sense to me that if there's extra tight ends that they'll get targets and maybe the main guy that you're counting on and drafting the earliest might get penalized for that. So typically in the three tight ends one is a blocker at most he'll leak out for a screen pass have a little threat there but he won't be designed the second tight end is an in between or he can block he can go out for routes so I think that one replaces the slot receiver so some of the slot production that will replace that but a lead tight end who's already a receiver that we've seen those roles are pretty secure because their snaps actually go up but I think again those secondary targets just don't go out and see if there's any kind of a gap. So I think that's a good idea to a wide receiver the secondary targets go to an extra tight end which raises those secondary tight ends but I think the primary ones their roles are largely unchanged.

1:20:10Jim if you don't mind while we're here let's pivot to the bills and there they're a team that loves their three tight ends Jackson haws was primarily that blocking tight end last year only caught 16 passes. So I think the other guys may be stay about where they are what are you doing with concave this year because it's been it's been a pretty smooth summer for him which is not something you could say the last two summers. So I think that's a great and as well as your market knows this back in May the team was talking about limiting concave route they kind of off of that completely now now it's like he's healthier now what does that mean because they were games he was seeing 35% of the snaps like you said injury maintenance for sure so now are we talking 55 or 60 and I don't know but it's higher than that but it's huge if he does because one out of three catches for Dalton concave were for at least 20 yards last year that's how dynamic he is.

1:21:11And he is a skeleton key for offenses so yes he him increasing that role and being healthy it elevates the office but I'm going to say segue off for a minute I can't speak enough of DJ more and I don't know how your Buffalo fans are feeling my DJ more but I think he could not be in a better spot last year Chicago he was playing under Ben Johnson and Ben Johnson didn't use him 85 pergots and I tried to figure out why and then I realized that Ben Johnson wants to up to the top of the table. And Johnson wants a precise route runner you are on this blade of grass at the second let's not DJ more game he's open every play but he's more freelance talk about a perfect fit with Josh Allen this Josh Allen really care if you're on this blade of grass at the time and if a played break down and Josh Allen is running around the back of DJ more is getting vertical diagonal this is going Buffalo fans you are going to love DJ more and he is going to have an insanely good season for you. I like this take I've heard you make it on your shows and really DJ more for me in my head is a ping pong match where you have I mean there are a lot of naysayers when it comes to this player is age.

1:22:20Scott Barrett for one namely is like yeah I think he's washed maybe not I mean we don't know but you know it's kind of been a really interesting back and one of the more interesting players in fantasy this year for this is DJ more I would say because I mean all those guys in the first round mostly unless it's like McCaffrey because of his age. And then Josh is pretty much you know a straight line like everybody loves him is a matter of ranking them and you know James Cook Jim is in that that class I mean he's a first round pick or early second at the latest this year are you on board. Yeah James Cook is one of the safest running back obviously you're going first and second take the giant and Gibson any order you like them but after that you could really make a case the next running back should be taken after a few wide receiver then it might be James Cook because like you said McCaffrey age his rushing ability to climb to get a hundred catches but all that work and now he's older Jonathan Taylor fell to 3.3 yards of carry in the games Daniel Jones missed he's coming back from the kill.

1:23:20And he always misses at least five games a year James Cook is just sitting there and it's like you know what we got paid last year he finally got the 300 touches we even though they lost David Edwards the left guard this is still a really good offensive line and so James Cook is his safe as they come once you get past about six picks in your draft. Yeah you add into that that he's not a guy that gets hit square a lot like I can't recall him taking a huge hit I mean I'm sure he's gotten hit he's a running back but like he's got that ability to kind of just I don't know it just kind of feels like it misses him. You know I can't think of a situation where he got you know like Wiley coyote or anything maybe Denver in the playoffs was the fun bowl maybe a play like that but your point is valid I'm not trying to pick at it by saying that. Thinking of that as you're talking. So you want to go as high and your Robinson over Gibbs I think you want to go as high as are be three for cook. So full disclosure if in a 12 team league. Oh Mary and Hampton goes about pick 15 and if I'm picking about pick ten or so I could play chicken on Hampton and I could think I could in many draft I'll get cook at 10 sometimes the fallers months won't and so if I could get cook and then coming back or

1:24:33round if I can get Hampton I have Hampton actually ahead in terms of what I think you'll score but because of the draft strategy that I think I can get both at the end of the first round and into the early second round that's how I tell my listeners to view them but I do think Hampton has incredible upside Hampton was actually now standing outside runner unless you're with no blocking coming up a broken ankle and he is in like the mother of all systems for him in in Los Angeles how it's Mike McDaniel so I do think that that cook will finish the run back for but as I said depending where you're drafting I would draft as the running back three sounds weird I hope you get the logic on that. I do for sure and you also have in their chase brown and Kenneth Walker who are putt and Devon HN as well popular picks in that same range until recently and maybe this is still mostly true but so was ashton genty but now you've got some concern over his health going into the opener I don't know Jim like I'm not worried about it but if you draft a lot this time of year is kind of fun because you see I mean genty went into the third round last night in one draft

1:25:44I was watching you get that sort of sometimes not always but sometimes overreaction to injury news. You're right and the news has not been definitive but every key lead you get a thing it's a low ankle spring which means he's going to be fine those don't linger once they heal so if that's the case we're looking at a player we were taking in the first round before the injury and I know Mike Washington had a great preseason and so I think maybe some people are worried now this is more of a timeshare but in those first two preseason games half of Mike Washington's runs were useless they were negative to positive two yards which keeps the offense off schedule so if he's going to be a boomer bus runner he's not going to get this massive workload. Genty is going to be the guy because genty not only will give them the big blaze but they'll keep my schedule so genty is a screaming feel and drafts because people just have that made up these narratives and they're following them and I just don't think there's a lot of merit behind burying genty on a low ankle spring. With Jim Coventry of Roto wire Mike show in the bulldog here on WGR his name has already come up here but just what do you think of Walker in Kansas City like I because we've seen the bills morph into this run heavy team and cook led the league in rushing last year the chiefs with my homes.

1:27:02Coming off an injury and they had nothing for a run game last year I could see them getting into like the idea of like okay let's become more like a 50 50 thing here because they now have a real stud back there. You might be right on that and I feel like Andy read how much Andy read going to change his trip stripes he either going to run some and he has a little something in the past and they had a dynamic game I think Walker is the most interesting player in the first two rounds of your draft because in theory if it works out in Kansas City and he catches the ball and that's they're talking about now in 2024 and only 11 games walker at 46 catches if that's the pace you get in Kansas City for catches a game. He is going to come close to helping you in your league but here's the problem in his time in Seattle he could never separate tennis walker from Zach Sharman a sharpening got half of the work because Walker never proved to be able to move the off at that schedule yeah the big plays are great I don't use this number to

1:28:07because I think it's important. Kenneth Walker had what we call a 25% pile success rate last year what that means is he has so many runs that are of zero one or negative yards the offense is in a hole because what he does is he dances around looking for a hole and if the hole doesn't develop instead of taking the two or three or four yards that he would gotten by running straight he all sudden puts the team in a hole and I think when Andy read it unless they could get him walker to change his game and get a mediately down hill. I think it's going to get really frustrating for the coaching staff and they're going to probably end up doing what he had with it. We walker in a time share they didn't expect you make a really good point about read like going back to his time in Philadelphia I feel like I remember like you can help himself he's just got a throw he's got to throw he's got to throw you know and at the time that was held against him because Philly you know for the NFC championships they could never get there and close the deal now that he's wanting Kansas City is sort of like you know he's exalted genius. So we'll see where that where that goes with Jim Coventry of Roto wire for all the drafts I've done maybe it's around a hundred this year last year was more by the way before you go make a face full dog.

1:29:20So I've cut back I don't think I've seen a single one where Josh Allen wasn't the first quarterback there really is just like no debate about that and sometimes it's like three rounds or even four rounds later where the second one goes. How do you feel about that Jim I mean I don't think it's worth debating whether he should be quarterback one because it seems unanimous but I never get him almost because like I just don't want to pay the price if I can get you know close to the same kind of quarterback production a few rounds later. You're exactly correct and what happens is when you're in these leagues and you draft Allen the third round all of a sudden you find yourself chasing it running back or wide receiver because you missed out on one of the premium ones and I would rather chase it right at quarterback I'm sure chase a quarterback because I have options I have a lot of options later that I like yeah Allen is the linchpin number one but at what cost like you said and I know a lot of people have been successful drafting a quarterback early I just never feel my roster is good if I can. I know my roster is good if I try that approach and so I just don't do it now Lamar Jackson you brought a three round value because he was hurt last year a hamstring which he's never been a guy with soft tissue injuries so that come you know that ended up becoming

1:30:33knee toe foot injuries because he was you know lintin around on a bad hamstring so three round value if Lamar Jackson is falling into the six round in your draft at that point that is a value you can't pass up. I think do I hope I have this right and I'd like to put this in front of bulldog too I think if I were to ask you your favorite quarterback pick this year it's Kyler Murray isn't it? It is with Kevin O'Connell and I'm going to play out a couple things for you first of all Sam Donald who we left for being a non factor ever in football because he was not good for many years he goes into Minnesota with Kevin O'Connell's offense and he throws her 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns. It was I'm sorry Sam Donald wants to give you credit but it was Kevin O'Connell the offense of tackles were great the receivers are great the scheme the plays are great. Kyler Murray is far better than Sam Donald ever was walking in here he was a league average quarterback but everybody forgets that and the durability he had an ACL that cost him parts of two seasons so we penalized twice for the same injury.

1:31:39Kyler Murray has been like an average quarter I completed a horrible Arizona system bad offensive lines cliff Kings very with the most predictable offense until Kings very improved in his next job so in my mind if Kyler Murray is an average quarterback even that he has Jefferson Addison Hockinson an offensive line and he can run I don't see how this goes long. So Jim Josh Jacobs on whatever day it was last Sunday I think is when I heard driving back from Louisville was commissioners exempt list and then everybody just decided that's that's that for Josh Jacobs doesn't have a court date until November now today they announced that that court date is moved up two months even before they open he'll be you know in court I guess that's the plan anyway so how have you ridden this ride with him. So yes so my initial take when it was in November court date was he would remain on the exempt list until his court date now that was an initial court date that's only not the date things get done we talked to Drew David Porter a great friend who's a lawyer and understands and he said the case should go on past that so at that point I'm like well don't trap Jacobs because you're probably not going to have them because they give him a suspension because the exempt was not a suspension it's paid but then once they settle the court case he could get the minimum

1:33:01six games and you're looking season over but now the fact of court date is September 10th or 11th they just a new post of Adam Shepard if that either of those dates so the point becomes this it that had to be driven by Jacobs and then if they get settled right away and if the league that are hoping the league is just the six games if that happens even if it's eight games you could get Jacobs for close to half the season and in that case now I think once you're in the drafting the handcuffed running backs I think you're drafting Jacobs just above those because if you got a half a season with fresh legs out of him I think at that point it would be way worth it. You just have to get there you can't afford to have a team where you have enough injuries and you can't hold on to him or you have to any player who's injured like that you've got to be hopeful that you can make it that long into the season.

1:34:09Jim one player whose opinion I'm not sure I know of you know in terms of what you think Dejon Stribling another exciting player to talk about argue about this summer San Francisco rookie many thought overdrafted but then he shows up in camp and preseason and is making waves they lose Ricky pierce all Evans is hurt it's always the way with San Francisco how high is too high for him. So he is going about 90s picks in the draft so he's you know the 12 team league is going in the eighth is round and I think that that's a fair price but here's what I'm saying I was drafting Stribling in July before pierce all got hurt before training camp started and my whole case was this I said Stribling is exactly if you cooked up in a lab what a Kyle Shanahan receiver would be big super fast can block and can run with the ball on his hands all the time I'm going to do it. So I'm going to do it with the ball on his hands all those are like exactly what they need and that's why they use the 33rd pick traded up to get him in that spot so he is a clear fit I remember when they drafted brand that I you Kierstack before everything like crazy I you was another one of those players that did really well in Shanahan scheme so I bought into that but the bigger picture was this Mike Evans is old and he missed 12 games in the last two years and I already said father time has him at a chokehold right now and then he in camp he missed time and then pierce all goes down Stribling is in the

1:35:32line to lead this team in receiving because Debo they already said it's going to be in a part time role splitting a position Stribling could not be in a better situation so yes if he is going in the end of the eight rounds in your draft and if you really want them then in the late seventh not too early because Kyle Shanahan will get production out of a wide receiver. There it is Bulldog you got that I'm making note. John Stribling is an apostrophe in there somewhere Jim thanks to you and your colleagues at Rotawire for being a part of our team this season look forward to talking again. Thanks Mike before I go code WGR at roadwire.com gets 50% wow our subscription it's massive it's a great deal we have all of our draft tools are rankings to get you set up for win for winning your league but again WGR at roadwire.com 50% off. You run by a Buffalo guy Tim I mean I've been in touch with him over the years and I am a big fan of the road aware content so very good thanks again Jim have a good weekend thank you Jim Coventry of roadwire with us.

1:36:39Theo Greminger Ian Hartitz Jim Coventry maybe a couple more of their many analysts will join us over the course of the season on Friday afternoon pretty sweet little deal so good half off yeah. They have all sports to one thing about road aware versus some of the other sites we have guests on from is this is not just a football site right. So you got hockey coming up sneaky Joe's dynasty league perhaps you're in that. Might want a little bit of guidance probably not I mean that I wouldn't need guidance but I'm not I definitely need the guidance I'm not a hot good dynasty league yeah you know I'm out. My portfolio is shrinking evidently so let me let me check hang on I gotta get a refresh my screen here I got one and I may even not participate in the draft Owen Owen Cole manager Gord Stellock coming up after the update Mike show in the bulldog WGR