Welcome to the final Bills Mailbag of 2020. Here’s to hoping 2021 is better for all of us.
The Bills have a great opportunity to give their fans something to smile about at the start of a new year. Let’s get to your questions …
Greg Nichols asks: Despite the Bills' weeks of success, I do not like hints that John Brown could be expendable with Gabriel Davis doing well. Let's not forget how critical he was to last season's success and how he helps make the overall offense more efficient when he is on the field. If Stefon Diggs or Cole Beasley gets hurt, his presence is even more crucial. Agree?
Jay: I agree with the last part, for sure. In that case, Brown is great veteran depth. I can’t ignore the idea that Brown might be expendable this offseason, though. The Bills have scored 33.8 points per game since the bye week, scoring at least 26 in each of four games. The offense is functioning at a very high level without Brown. Rookie wide receiver Gabriel Davis has done well when called upon. The coaches might think Davis is ready for an expanded role. Of course, it would be great to have Brown. He’ll add another element when he does return, but your question looks more at the long term. If the $8 million in cap savings should Brown be deemed expendable means room to re-sign linebacker Matt Milano or right tackle Daryl Williams, it’s conceivable General Manager Brandon Beane makes that move. Nobody would be happy about it, but that’s life with a salary cap. The Bills aren’t always going to be able to re-sign – or in this case, keep – every player, even if worthy of a spot. Given Brown's age (31 next season) and injury issues this year, it’s fair to have the conversation about whether there will be a spot for him on the 2021 roster.
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Dennis Priore asks: I, like most Bills fans, am very impressed with the progress Josh Allen has made over his first three years and see a bright future for him and therefore I feel the Bills finally have a franchise quarterback. However, a good friend of mine has adopted a wait-and-see attitude and is not ready to admit Allen is a franchise QB. Who’s right and if I am, what should I tell him?
Jay: That all depends on how you define "franchise quarterback." For some, that designation only applies if a player has won a Super Bowl. That would mean Deshaun Watson, Lamar Jackson, Philip Rivers, Jared Goff, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott and Matt Ryan, among others, would not be considered franchise quarterbacks.
For others, the definition is more loosely applied. Few would argue that from the above list, Watson, Jackson and Murray are looked at by his respective team as the franchise quarterback.
For me, I’ve always defined it as simply as possible – someone who has a really good chance at being the starter for a long time. Through that lens, Allen is a franchise quarterback for the Bills. He’s making a legitimate run at MVP, after all. If your friend wants to see postseason success from him before bestowing that title, it’s a reasonable position to take.
Kirk Graham asks: I was wondering who the Bills third and fourth quarterbacks are on game days and who is the backup place-kicker? How many backups would a coach have established for such positions? Obviously, Covid has had a major impact on this.
Jay: I’ll disagree slightly on the last part. Keep in mind the Bills used just two quarterbacks on the active roster all last season, so going into a game with just Allen and Matt Barkley is nothing new. Coach Sean McDermott addressed this in 2018, and threw out an interesting name when talking about who would be in the mix as the emergency quarterback.
“The teams which carry two, which typically is what I’ve been around, you always have to have a third emergency guy ready to go,” McDermott said. “Micah Hyde’s done some things before. You’ve got different options, things in the toolbox that we’re ready to use.”
Wide receiver Cole Beasley was a star option quarterback for Little Elm High School in the Dallas area. As a senior in 2007, he rushed for 1,184 yards and 12 touchdowns and passed for 1,570 yards and 12 touchdowns in leading the Lobos to the playoffs. He threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Davis earlier this season on a trick play against the Chargers.
Other positions that don’t have obvious backups are kicker, punter and long snapper. Typically, teams will use either their kicker or their punter to back up the other position in an emergency. A tight end typically practices some snaps as the backup long snapper. If something were to happen to Reid Ferguson in a game, Lee Smith would be my guess as his replacement.
Jim Schlesinger asks: Seems to me that Jon Feliciano is the key to our offensive line, maybe to the offense as a whole. He elevated the play of everyone. Your thoughts?
Daniel De Federicis asks: Like the rest of us, I am enjoying this season more than any since the Jim Kelly era. My one nagging complaint is we don't have a consistent running game. Allen is already stellar, but can you imagine our offensive output if he simply had an above-average running game to work with? This could be our undoing in the postseason. One more question on the offense: I don't watch closely enough to know for sure, but it sure seems that Jon Feliciano's return from injury coincided with the Bills' offense improving in the second half of the season. The guy is flipped back and forth between guard and center seemingly during every game and the offense keeps humming. Does it seem to you that he's an unsung hero of the offense?
Jay: He’s not the key to the offense as a whole – that’s Allen – but Feliciano sets a tone up front that the Bills love. He plays with a toughness that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll craves. Allen, too, is very fond of Feliciano as a teammate and friend. For all those reasons, I like Daniel’s description – an unsung hero on the offense – better than saying he's the key to the whole thing. As for the running game, the Bills are a pass-first team. That, by the way, is exactly what they should be after trading up twice in the first round to draft Allen. It is a fair criticism that the running game has been inconsistent. If you want to take a glass-half-full approach to it, though, consider what has happened in the fourth quarter the last two weeks. The Bills have been able to bleed out the clock with 7-plus minute drives against the Steelers and the Broncos. That doesn’t happen without some semblance of a running game.
Adam P. asks: If the Bills, Colts and Packers win this weekend, do we see Jake Fromm start Week 17 since the No. 2 seed is locked up? Matt Barkley is an unrestricted free agent after this year.
Jay: Sean McDermott was asked Wednesday whether Fromm would see the field before the postseason. Predictably, the coach gave a “we’ll see” answer before saying how much he appreciates the way Fromm has been working. Playing Fromm would mean the Bills would have to change their plan, which has been to isolate him from the team. Given that, I’d be surprised if he played. A more likely scenario would be either playing Barkley or perhaps promoting Davis Webb from the practice squad for Week 17, should it be a meaningless game. I understand the desire to see what Fromm can do, but one game – which would likely be played without several starters around him – would not be enough to draw much from when it comes to his role for next season.
GK asks: If he becomes available, what is your opinion on the Bills signing Sam Darnold as backup quarterback?
Jay: It’s an interesting thought, given that Darnold and Allen train together in the offseason and are close friends. I don’t see it happening, though, mainly because I would expect Darnold to want to pursue a starting job somewhere – or at least a chance to compete for one. For what it’s worth, I still think he could be good in the right system with the right coaching and better talent around him. Unless it’s his only NFL offer, signing in Buffalo doesn’t give Darnold much of a chance to establish himself, because he wouldn’t see the field unless Allen is injured. I also don’t think it makes sense for the Jets to cut him. They could either hang on to him as insurance in case whomever they draft isn’t immediately ready to start or they should be able to fetch something for him in a trade. In that scenario, I don’t see the Jets willing to make a deal with Bills, even if there was interest from Beane.
KF asks: Since Tyler Bass has become a very reliable kicker is it safe to now call him Bass-O-Matic?
Jay: You can, KF, but I won’t.
Gina asks: We need better rivalries. Why not correct an NFL geography error (created by Art Modell) and move the Ravens to the AFC East and the Bills to the AFC North?
Jay: So, then you’d be looking at Steelers-Browns-Bills-Bengals and Ravens-Dolphins-Jets-Patriots divisions. Geographically, that makes sense, but Ravens-Steelers is one of the league’s best rivalries. I’m not sure the NFL wants that to disappear. Bills-Dolphins has lost some of its intensity over the years, but older fans would tell you that is still a rivalry game. Tradition is the biggest reason I don’t see a change being made. I also answered a question similar to this last year with a request, Gina – think of me. In a non-Covid year, I get to go to New York City, Boston and Miami every season. Now you want to send me to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Cleveland instead? I know 2020 has been hard on all of us, but let’s not pile on me that way.
Eric Boryszak asks: Lastly, what are your three favorite Tragically Hip songs?
Jay: Picking three is nearly impossible, but here we go: 3. "Ahead by a Century." The last song Gord Downie ever sang in concert. I’m not ashamed to admit I shed more than a few tears watching that performance. The Tragically Hip is one of the strongest ties that bind me to my best friends. We grew up going to see them all over two countries. The music created memories – and friendships – that will last a lifetime. 2. "Escape is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man." If you haven’t, watch "Long Time Running," the documentary on the Hip’s final tour, this song plays a key part in the beginning. 1. "The Depression Suite." Not just my favorite Hip song – my favorite song ever. If I could only listen to one piece of music for the rest of my life, it would be this song. Thank you, as always, for the questions. Happy New Year!
