The regular season is here and the PlayAction podcast is focused on every aspect. Katherine and Lance will get you ready for the big “Sunday Night Football” season opener between the Bills and Ravens.
It’s here. The home opener for the Buffalo Bills is annually one of the best days in Western New York, and it gets the added bonus this season of being one of the best games on the NFL calendar. Bills-Ravens, 8:20 p.m. Sunday night in a nationally televised playoff rematch. Let’s go. Before kickoff, dive into the latest Bills Mailbag …
E.H. asks: In your opinion, do the Bills have enough quality depth in all position groups? If not, which group still needs tweaking and massaging?
Jay: I don’t think there is a team in the league that can say it has quality depth across all positions. The salary cap makes it such that it’s difficult to pay everyone. That means letting some players go who you would prefer to keep. That, in turn, means filling those holes through the draft with young players. In examining the Bills’ current depth chart, I would consider the depth at linebacker and cornerback – particularly at the moment – to be lacking.
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Andy in Berkeley, Calif. asks: With the Bills shorthanded at cornerback, and also needing to use heavier personnel to contain Derrick Henry, is there any possibility of playing a 4-3 defense with Taron Johnson at one of the outside cornerback positions? Or is he really only able to cover from the slot? It seems like a shame to have to choose between Johnson and a third linebacker when the secondary is already weakened.
Jay: It’s a fair question, Andy, because it gets to the heart of a dilemma for the Bills. Johnson is undoubtedly one of their best defensive players, but he’s undersized to play against the Ravens, who have a punishing running back in Henry. Are the Bills better with Dorian Williams on the field against Henry instead of Johnson? That’s a question the coaching staff has to answer. Your idea is an interesting one, but I’ve not seen Johnson practice as an outside cornerback in a long, long time – maybe ever. It’s simply not something the team asks him to do. I wouldn’t say he’s incapable of playing that position, but if the Bills put him there Sunday night, it would be a shock.
Dan De Federicis asks: Now that the receiving team may have up to three players in the setup zone on a kickoff, do you think the Bills will take advantage of that and have three players back there? Who would the players likely be in addition to Brandon Codrington? Finally, do you expect any creative plays (reverses, fake reverses, etc.) on the kickoff return unit to take advantage of the new rules?
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Jay: Ty Johnson would be one option to join Codrington. It gets a little harder to identify the third player if the Bills were to put that many back there. Tyrell Shavers has worked a lot on special teams, so he would be a possibility. At least at the start of the season, I’d expect it will be Codrington and Johnson, though, as just the two returners. As for trick plays, I hope so. It would be nice to see a bit more creativity from new special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. I struggle to even remember the last time the Bills attempted a fake punt or field goal.
David Bracco asks: Will DeWayne Carter’s salary be counted toward the cap now that he is lost for the season?
Jay: Yes, it will. Teams still have to account for the salaries of players who end up on injured reserve. So in this case, Carter’s $1.285 million cap hit still counts. That’s why it’s not enough for teams to be right at the salary cap. They need operating room to sign new players as injury replacements.
B.A. asks: Since the Bills are hosting the Sunday night game at 8:20 p.m., how does the team change practice schedules, meals, training, etc., to accommodate such a late start? Also, how does it change your deadline? At least the Bills have the advantage of playing at home without adding travel to the equation, but it must be disruptive in a sport with so much routine built into the regular season.
Brandon Beane has retooled the Bills’ receiver room. Did he find the right mix for Josh Allen?
There is no position on the Bills’ roster, at least offensively, that has been scrutinized more than wide receiver – for good reason. Each year, finding the right mix for quarterback Josh Allen has been one of Brandon Beane’s top priorities.
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Jay: The days of 16 starts at 1 p.m. are long gone for this franchise, as fans are well aware of by now. It’s funny to see some complaints on social media about all the prime time starts, considering not so long ago those same people were complaining about how the Bills never got those games. By this point, the team’s coaching, conditioning and sports science staffs are all accustomed to night games – of which there are five currently on the team’s schedule. The practice time does not change. The only thing that is a bit different is the meal and conditioning schedule before the game, since there is a long time to sit and wait. As for our newspaper deadline, unfortunately we’re not able to get the score of the game in the Monday paper. However, we do an e-edition on game nights with a 2 a.m. page deadline. We still write on a tight deadline for the website, with the goal being to have comprehensive coverage available as soon as possible online.
GDW asks: While checking out NFL player injury designations prior to my fantasy draft, I noticed several injury reasons were not disclosed. I assume that, if given the choice, most teams would prefer not to let other teams know the injury location of their players. What are the rules on disclosing injuries? For the injuries that are not disclosed, how do teams get away with that?
Jay: The reason for that is teams are not required to provide an official injury report until Week 1 of the regular season. That continues through the Super Bowl. The NFL has long taken a serious approach to its injury report policy, going so far as to refer to it as “a cornerstone of public confidence in the NFL for many decades.”
“The credibility of the NFL, teams, owners and team personnel requires full compliance with and uniform enforcement of the policy,” the policy reads. “The intent is to provide full and complete information on player availability. It is NFL policy that information for dissemination to the public on all injured players be reported in a satisfactory manner by clubs to the league office, the opposing team, local and national media, and broadcast partners each game week of the regular season and postseason. The information must be credible, accurate, timely, and specific within the guidelines of the policy, which is of paramount importance in maintaining the integrity of the game.”
Teams found to be in violation of the injury policy are subject to fines, while involved individuals are subject to fines and/or suspensions. Teams also run the risk of losing draft picks if found to be in violation of the policy.
Take the Bills, for example. We knew that Tre’Davious White suffered a leg injury of some kind before the final preseason game, but it wasn’t revealed until the first official injury report of the season came out Wednesday that he was actually dealing with a groin injury. Any information on injuries prior to Week 1 of the season is either volunteered from the team or player or found out by a reporter.
Al Lambo asks: What if the season was 18 games, but players could suit up for no more than 16 games? The ways this would change the game are too many to count here. Has the league ever considered limiting the number of games a player could play? Other than the risk of gambling having an impact, which it already has, I don’t see much downside.
Jay: This is an idea that I’ve seen before, actually kind of like. However, there are some challenges to it. No. 1, are you really going to risk putting Josh Allen out behind an offensive line that has backups playing because the starters have to sit out twice? That’s a risk nobody in the Bills organization would be willing to take. Also, is CBS or FOX going to be excited to broadcast a game when they find out Allen is out and Mitch Trubisky is starting? Probably not. No. 2, are you going to have to sign a punter, kicker and long-snapper just to play two games? That seems clunky. Perhaps there is a compromise to be made where specialists are exempt from the 16-game rule. Also, how does it work for pay? Are players getting paid for games they can’t participate in? I’m not sure owners would go for that. Because of those challenges, I don’t see this becoming reality, but the idea is not without some compelling points. If players are concerned about injuries due to an expanded 18-game schedule, this plan actually has them playing one fewer game than they do now. It would certainly lead to more intrigue and decisions by front offices and coaching staffs around the league about when to sit players. I think it’s an idea that would be worth the league and players exploring.
Jim Maher asks: Before the official season starts and we all scrutinize the Bills’ plays that count, I have some Hall of Fame questions: 1. Has the sun set on Steve Tasker, the best special teams player in NFL history, making it to the Hall? Do you feel he earned a spot? 2. Do you feel the AFL, before the merger, is fairly represented? 3. Are there any additional players from the Bills’ AFL championship days that deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame?
Do the Buffalo Bills have the NFL’s best offensive line? Maybe – but they certainly have a big advantage
More so than any other unit on a professional football team, an offensive line has to be in sync. And this year, as the Buffalo Bills get set to make another run at a championship, they have a major advantage: They’re returning their starting five intact for a second straight year, all five at the same five positions.
Jay: So, the AFL is before my time, Jim, but not to worry. I enlisted my former colleague, Mark Gaughan, to pinch hit for me on this answer. As usual, he was thorough in his response. Here is what he sent to me:
“There definitely was an anti-AFL bias on the committee among older voters from NFL cities in the 1970s. Over time, the ignoring of AFL stars has been corrected to a degree. One guy I lobbied hard for when I was voting was Chiefs safety Johnny Robinson, who got in in 2019. Some Bills fans want Jack Kemp elected, and there is a push to get him in. A case can be made. He QB’d in five AFL title games. But my position is Larry Felser was not a strong advocate for Kemp, so I can’t get behind it. He’s in my Hall of Great (not HOF). Bills great Tom Sestak unquestionably played at a HOF level, but not long enough due to injury. George Saimes, an all-decade AFL safety, falls just short in my opinion. Ditto Ron McDole. Three top AFL players who aren’t in who I definitely think belong are: Chiefs LT Jim Tyrer, Raiders DB/KOR Dave Grayson, and Jets LB Larry Grantham. Other strong candidates behind them who are worthy of discussion in my view are: Chiefs OG Ed Budde, Raiders WR Art Powell (a recent finalist), Oilers WR Charley Hennigan and Chiefs WR Otis Taylor. So yes, there should be room for a few more AFLers.”
And, that, my friends, is why Mark is the GOAT.
Thank you for all the questions this week. As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or by email to [email protected].
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