Six Questions That Could Decide The Bills’ Fate (Featuring Chris Trapasso)

0:00All right. What's going on everybody? How are you doing? Welcome to another episode of talking Buffalo your weekday daily driver for Buffalo Sports Talk and more. My name is Patrick Moran. Thank you as always for watching for listening to the show. However, you are consuming it and doing great. I owe that all to you guys. So appreciate you very much. I also appreciate our sponsor. The law is a William attire hurting a car called William attire 44444 call William attire today to get the compensation that you deserve. All right. That's right, guys, man. No more shows before the bills actually play a real game.

1:02So I could not think of a better guess to have on for today than the dude has been crushing it by the way, Buffalo Rumblings. I'm so happy about that love going to that site every day. He's on 97 rock now pregame post game. A lot will Mitch Morse. My buddy Christophe Pazzo. Man, what's up, dude? How you doing? A lot. I mean, I'm doing very well. I'm super pumped for this game in two days. And really, I don't want to look past week one. Of course, this is a huge test for the bills offense. We'll get into it and see the gym liners defense for the first time. But Thursday, the home opener and week two on Thursday night football against the lions at the new stadium. Hopefully the weather's going to be nice. I'm like super looking forward to that more than normal. Hopefully the bills home opener is always like a big day in Western New York, but this year, I think it'll be even intensified with the atmosphere inside the new high mark stadium. Yeah. For sure.

2:02So I have six that I think are six of the biggest questions that I think the bills need answered that ultimately may determine their fate for this year. And I'm going to get into those with you in just a minute before that though with the 97 rock thing. Let me start by asking you this because I got a couple questions about that. How is your prep changed? Now, this is going to be your first regular season game. I know you've had a little bit of preseason time now to work along with Mitch, but like say Sunday, typically throughout the career of Christopher. So you're going to get up. You're going to watch this game sometimes a bunch of games and then you know, you're going to do your writing. You're going to do your thing. Obviously, this is a lot different though for you, man. Like your day started a lot earlier. It's going to end a lot later. You're going to be out in the air hours before the game. So just in terms of your prep for a say a bills game kind of a gives a little bit of detail on how much that's changed for you now with this 97 rock job too.

3:03Yeah, you're totally right, padded. It is certainly a longer day, but I'm extremely grateful for it to be part of the bills radio network. Two hours pregame, two hours postgame with Mitch Morris. I have a ton of guests on throughout the season every week. Really excited about that as well. The biggest change beyond just a little bit of longer hours that I'm certainly fine with is that on these shows, I'm the driver of the show. When normally like when I fill in on one bill's live, Chris Brown or Maddie Glaber, even Steve Tasker, they're driving the show out troves to commercial, intros from commercial, you know, reading any sponsored segments. That's what I have to do now. Like if Mitch needs to do it in a pinch, he's fine with that. He has his own podcast in good company, but in general, they want me to be the driver of the show certainly provide analysis and takes here and there, but really drive the show and ask Mitch what he's seeing, what he saw in the post game. Certainly when we're having those guests, we can have a lot of fun and just ask whatever

4:03questions, but that's been the biggest change and getting in those three or four broadcasts for the Blue and Red Scrimmage and the preseason. Really good for me to get those reps as the person welcoming you to the show, sending it to break, getting back from break, all the times that you have to realize, hey, we got to get to break here in a minute, that you don't really have it on your mind when you're just a guest on the show. I know you know all about like all about that hosting this podcast and with all of your experience in broadcasting, but that's been the biggest change is actually being the driver of these pre and post game shows. And I'm glad you said that because that's no small thing either. Now you're very capable of course of being that driver, but it is different than say like for example, like whether you come on this show or whether you go on Perino show, however it may be, you're a guest on shows, the prep work is just the whole, the way everything plays out is a lot different than when you are indeed the driver. I'm going to talk about for a minute too.

5:04You mentioned Mitch and you know a couple of preseason games getting some reps under your belt before the real bullets start flying here Sunday when the bills travel to Houston to open up the regular season kind of developing because it's been so you know on the flag, you're trying, you're getting to know Mitch Moore is getting to know you more. You guys are developing chemistry. It's all about chemistry and the booth or in a pre game and a post game and you guys are doing shows together. You know that. You're talking about a little bit about developing like kind of that chemistry that you're going to have with Mitch and just getting to know each other more and more and more each time. Yeah, it's key. We first met at Bill's training camp. We took in two practices together right before the blue and red scrimmage and I mean, I didn't know what Mitch was going to be like. I mean, I had never met him. We zoomed one time before that and he certainly was seeing all of his former teammates, but it was really nice that like he really stood next to me and we were either talking about what we were seeing on the field or when the bills had a break or when it was a special

6:04team session, we were just getting to know each other because we knew that was so important for just the chemistry on the air. So we actually have some knowledge of each other, know about our families, our upbringing, all of that. And I think that's just going to continue to grow throughout the season, what he likes, what he doesn't like, what topics he likes to really extend on and you know offensive line, probably his forte. He doesn't like to spend too much time on and vice versa. So I think all those things are very important. And fortunately for me, and I was told this before meeting Mitch, he's like the nicest, most down to earth guy, even when he was on the bills. He was always one of the guys that they put out front and center after a tough loss or even when they won big games. He's very articulate. He's smart and he's not someone that is acting like he's bigger and better than me and knows more than I do because he was a player. Although I do believe he does know more than I do. He doesn't help me cross like that. So he's been nothing but like a really nice co-host. We got to hudges for dinner one night.

7:06That was really nice too. So you're absolutely right. Like the time spent together is certainly important and hopefully that will be able to be heard on the air throughout the season. For sure. You can't fake chemistry. You know, either you get it or you don't have it. And people see through that. You know, it's kind of funny too because Eric, of course, former Bill Center is on during the broadcast. Mitch is on now before and after. I'm like, I can't wait to kind of my governance career is over and he's going to be doing something with the bills. I can see that coming from a mile away. Well, let's say to that we'll get it. I just want to say this too because you're on the show and I just want to say that watching from afar this year for you has been so cool for for someone like me to see unfold. I've said this on the air when you landed at Buffalo, Romneys with that speed nation and now especially, you know, with this gig as well that things don't always go our way in

8:11life. You know what I mean? In our career and in life and we all have adversity and we all have setbacks. We have all had jobs out. You know, we enjoyed and you get let go for them for whatever reason and there's a million reasons why but having the right mindset and the right attitude when things are great is just such an important trait to have in your life. And you know, when things weren't going well for you at the time, you could have said, well, you know what's going on? It's just me, it's safe for me anymore and you go do whatever it is that you got to do and you just kind of get out of the business. It's kind of like what players, you know what I mean? At some point your career ends, whatever have you, but having the right mindset and just the right approach to life, I feel like can get people places and to see you come back in a big way. Like I said, first now you're basically running Romneys, which again, I'm so happy about

9:12that. I've been reading your content and a lot of other people at Romneys, the content almost every day and now with this as well on the radio side for working with the bills, the broadcast network. It's just, it's awesome to see Chris and I'm happy for you on a personal level. I'm happy for you on a professional level and I do think it's something, you know, that everybody out there can have a takeaway from that. Hey, man, shit happens in life, you know, and just pick yourself up. If you get knocked down, you pick yourself up. And when you do a lot of times, good things will happen. Sure. And for anyone that doesn't have any background on this, so at the start of last season, I was let go from CBS Sports. I was there for eight years NFL NFL draft analyst. And you're right. Like there were certainly some times where I could get a little down on myself, but I did go into it kind of assessing what I wanted to do. And I was still super passionate about everything NFL and evaluations and still being an analyst. So I really tried to stay in the game as much as I could, even though I wasn't technically

10:16working or writing for a company anymore. I created my own draft website last year, draft grade book. I was coming on your show. I was still getting those wraps on the air, which is probably helped me leading into this radio gig. Perino show, a lot of other draft shows in, you know, from January through April. And I really tried to obviously stay very close to the bills in terms of watching the games and understanding what was going on last season. So it was definitely a different experience last year. And it has certainly made me grateful, not that I wasn't before, but even more grateful to be in this industry because I love it so much. And I've been in it for a long time, just like you have. I appreciate all those kind words. And I'm super pumped again to just be back in writing for Buffalo Rumblings, working for the bills radio network and just being fully inundated in this 2026 bill season. It's awesome. Again, real happy for you in your crush in it. Let's get into six questions that I have anyway about this team this year that I think

11:17are going to play a very big role on ultimately whether this is a successful season or not. And I want to start with the quarterback position. I feel really good about Christian Benford. I feel really good about the offer. I don't feel great right now about CB2. You got two guys, Max Serison, IGB, the rookie, Max Serison going in the year to kind of sort of feels like a rookie in a way to me though because he many played last year. So he's not a rookie. I get that. But in experience, we'll use that word right now. But two guys were very traitsy with Max Serison and IGB. They both different skill sets, but they both have skills sets. But to me, it feels like in the secondary is the biggest question mark. My opinion. I feel like a lot of people have agreed but not everybody and that's fine. I think Max Serison had a so, so summer. He's had moments. He's had some days and some reps at training camp where he was getting beat. It was just, you know, he got dinged up. He's missed time. He's had a couple injuries down his career. But again, this dude can run like the wind.

12:19You draft him because he can run with worthy across the middle of the field and not a lot of DB's can. He's got a lot of great traits. But he hasn't been consistent. IGB, I thought I'd off to a very slow start at camp, but he's kind of come on lately and he's played better and better and better. And I've seen a lot of reports. People talking about how he just every day seems to be getting better. Max Serison is going to start. Maybe he's a starter for 17 weeks. Maybe he's not. We'll scout that plays out. But that's going to be a position Chris and I feel like it's going to be tested. Like if Christopher Paso is the coordinator for the Texans or the Dolphin's whoever, like CB2 is probably going to be the guy you're going after more than anyone else. How do you feel about that position right now? No, I think it's good to pinpoint and start there with that position because I absolutely agree. I think early in the season, especially those coordinators will, I don't know if they'll necessarily shy away from Christian Benford completely, but yeah, whether it is Maxwell Harrison or IGB, he will be the most targeted cornerback I think on this roster. Now I'm of the belief and maybe I'm in the minority.

13:21I have more faith in Max Harrison than maybe what his summer would indicate. And that could date back to my opinion of him during the draft. I thought coming out of Kentucky two years ago, he is the modern day cornerback. He is twitchy. He's sudden. He's sparse. He has that vertical speed. Even if he is beaten, he can recover down the field. But you are right. I mean, he only played eight games last year and wasn't available in the playoffs. Scott Hurt in that exhibition game, essentially against the Jetson in week 18 and obviously missed the first half of the season with that knee injury. So he is kind of a rookie. And I think it's good that you pointed out that he and Maxwell Harrison do or that he and IGB have different skill sets. But on paper, they're both conducive to being able to play man coverage when Jim Leonard wants those cornerbacks to do that. And we will see almost assuredly an uptick in that man coverage utilization from Jim Leonard this season. So I think it's a question mark, but I'm not as concerned with that position as I think

14:25maybe other local or national analysts are because I think Max Harrison, if he can stay healthy, will be up to the task. I don't know if he's going to be a pro bowler and have five interceptions and overtake Christian Benford for the CB one role. But I think he'll be good enough to not be a liability in the secondary. Do you feel sometimes that people that I'm included myself in this big time that we kind of we evaluate players or judge players like too early, like for an example, stick it with Max Harrison and those are the guys too, but we'll we'll stick with Max Harrison to your point. Last year's rookie season he had training camp essentially wiped out, missed the first six games of the season comes back had a lot of good moments, couple shaky moments, but then he gets hurt again before the playoffs doesn't play into playoff. So this was his first full training camp this year and then he gets, you know, dinged up near the end of it and he has to to miss time as well had a bad play and the in the browns preseason. And there's no getting around that. That was just a bad rap. That was a bad mistackle.

15:26But again, that's one play, dude. That is how you kind of feel like people you we tend to as a as a community, whether it's fans, content creators, media, whatever. Sometimes kind of make our minds up about a player too early. I feel like I've done that. I'm guilty of that at times, including with him. And it's kind of like, let things play out a little bit more. Dude, yeah, I think so. And especially when you frame it the way that you just did, like if this is year two Maxwell Harrison who had a full training camp as a rookie and played 900 snaps less season by year two, if you still miss those tackles on a regular basis and he's allowing separation, not getting his hands on the football. I think by year two, you can start to form a pretty concrete opinion of a player similar. Like for me with Harrison, I think it's pretty similar to Cole Bishop who has a rookie, got injured in training camp, barely played, only really played actually in the playoffs two years ago. And then in year two, last season, he wasn't an all pro safety, but he certainly made some

16:26big plays and was one of the more stable pieces in the bill secondary. That's kind of the arc that I see for Maxwell Harrison because he's just too naturally talented. And I think it's too good of a fit for him in this gym-lended scheme for him not to take off in year two. All right, let's take a quick break. Plenty more coming up here with Christopher Paso. All right, talking Buffalo presented by William Matar, Friday podcast live or not live, but out there premiered on the video late Thursday night. The bills, of course, are in Houston. Sunday, I'll get a couple keys from Chris to the bills starting this season. Want to know I'll get that in just a few minutes. The linebackers right now, I don't even know if it's a question, Mark, Chris as much as it's like who's going to be playing? Maybe not week one. Week one is strobin, I would just do any Williams, okay? But Caleb, he alarms or who I continue to point out, I think you add a higher pre-draft

17:28than anybody I know. He was the second linebacker on your, on your big board coming into the draft. Of course, fourth round pick. And now Shaq Thompson is back who Shaq Thompson played well last year for the Buffalo bills. At times a lot better than Benar, but Benar was banged up last year. He wasn't the real trobinard last year. I still have questions about this position though because of course you, you know, the health of Benar and Dory and Williams over the past few years. And again, you got two other guys on the making until proven otherwise as positions, a question Mark, although there's a lot of possibilities out there, right? Yeah, I think how you framed that again was perfect because there is so much upside there. I love KEO. I had a first round grade on him. I didn't understand why he fell to the fourth round. His film was great. He tackled well. He made plays in coverage. And then he tested like an elite level athlete. And sub four five had a 40 inch vertical, I think, yeah, a 40 inch vertical big time athlete

18:29at the linebacker spot exactly what you want to see at that second level of the defense in today's NFL. It's so much of a question mark two because of the scheme like in the Sean McDermott scheme, I think there was a lot of, I'll say, strain on the linebackers or it was a featured position. Like to go from Luke Kekely to Terrell Brent or to Tremayne Edmonds, Matt Milano, it was a position that I think McDermott and company all of his defensive coordinators, they really tried to highlight that position. There were so many responsibilities for them covering sideline to sideline. In this scheme, and if you look back at the Broncos defense last season, they were not one of the best defenses in football because of their linebackers. The same thing it was constant with Jim Leonard. It was it was more about everything around the inside linebackers. I want to see if it can become a inside linebacker friendly system for Terrell Bernard or Doryne Williams. I think Doryne Williams is the perfect downhill thumper to take on those fullbacks and pulling guards.

19:29But I don't think we'll see as many of those with the bills too gapping up front where their defense alignment, I really holding up blockers to not allow them to get to the second level. And you're right. Like with Terrell Bernard, we don't know. Like when he's on the field and I just wrote about this earlier this week at Buffalo rumblings that he's my one of my ex factors for this game. When Terrell Bernard has been healthy, interceptions, pass break ups, sacks, tackles for loss. Last three seasons, he's been one of the best in the AFC at the linebacker spot. He's just hardly been on the field. And I wonder if at this stage, even though I won't say he's passed his prime, if all the injuries have caught up to him a little bit, is he a quarter or a half step slower? We won't know until Sunday. So it is certainly to me the biggest question mark position on this bill's defense. And Elarms or that's why I feel better about that pick because if you're right, if the injuries have caught up to Benard, you got a linebacker and waiting right there. And for what is worth, I'll say this is we had like a prediction, a bold prediction show

20:32earlier as we could whatever. Terrell Bernard was my pick for Bill's bounce back player of the year. I think there's a lot of people out. I think there's a lot of people out there that have ridden them off. And it comes down to me to health. Like if he can stay healthy, if he's back to what he was a couple of years ago, I mean, doesn't 2023 feel like a decade ago right now? It does. Because he was a beast in 2023. He had like six six and a half sacks, three picks, four spumbles, splash plays galore. He was like that impactful kind of impact playmaker like Geron Johnson was a couple of years ago as well. I feel like that's still inside him somewhere, but gotta be able to say healthy. Yeah, I wrote that at rumblings that he and it's kind of been my go to tagline for Terrell Bernard when he's healthy. He's not any lead level linebacker on a play to play basis, but he has proven to be one of the biggest splash play creators when you need the interception against the dolphins. When you need to pick late in the game against the Texans two years ago, he comes up with that play and is certainly the quarterback of the defense.

21:33He had a very firm grasp on everything Sean McDermott wanted from his linebacker spot. I just wonder how quickly he's picked up Jim Leonard scheme and is it more difficult for him? It probably shouldn't be. It should be a little bit easier with less responsibility on his plate. So I think that's actually a really good selection. If you're doing ball predictions, if you're just going to say, look, I think the injury bad luck is behind Terrell Bernard. He absolutely should be a big time impactful player on this bill's defense this year. The next one I got here, one more with the defense is, can the bills collectively as a group get to the quarterback enough? They don't have a guy who's going to get you a 14 to 16 sacks. I just don't see that on this roster. I got a graph. If you're watching on the video side that is up here, it's been the bills sack by a, so are my season totals since 2020, 2023. They were great again after court. They had 54 sacks, which was worth best in the NFL, but they've been under 40 the past

22:33two years. And they haven't been in the top 10 in sacks as a group going all the way back to 2020 with the exception, of course, of 2023. They have a 33% decline over the last two seasons with sacks. You bring in Bradley Chobb, you draft DJ Parker. That's probably in terms of like the new additions, but I think it's a legitimate question. Like they'll have some games where they're going to get some pressure. We're going to get some sacks, but being able to get after the quarterback in January to me, maybe more so than the linebackers or CB two, like, and I'm not saying they can't. I'm just saying, candy. That's a question that I'm asking right now. I think this is going to play a huge role for the bills. Who's going to be that guy who gets to the quarterback in the fourth quarter of the AFC division around when you got to get a stop on third down, right? That's a, that's a legitimate question for me right now. In terms of big picture, you're right. If you're going to fast forward to December and January into the playoffs, I think on the defensive side, what you're posing here is the biggest question because in a lot of those

23:35games against Patrick Maholam's when they would play well against him in the regular season, they wouldn't lay a finger on him in the playoffs. And Bo next did, I think, take two sacks in that division around game, but otherwise was cut pretty clean on a bunch of dropbacks in that division around game when they lost to the Bengals. So Barrel was not even breathed on in that game. So I think this year, and this is maybe a low hanging fruit that, hey, they, fire Sean McDermott, they brought in this new defensive coordinator that, that a lot of people I think wanted, I don't think this sacks will be a problem this year. I do agree with you. There's not a 12 to 16 sack player on this roster. I think this scheme will just get more sacks. I think we'll see D. Alfred were the couple sacks. We'll see Jordan Hancock get a couple sacks. It'll be more of a collective group effort. And if the bills get anywhere from between 45 to 55 sacks, I think that's a pretty good kind of ballpark number to move up from that 36 number last year that was tied for 20th,

24:37like you showed on your graphic. That should be what they should be aiming for. And I think, yeah, of course, in the playoffs, you ultimately want that, but there was just a little bit too much. And this is kind of, I think, the theme, especially in the playoffs for Sean McDermott, too much sitting back and trying to keep everything in front. When you watch the Seahawkson Patriots game, even though the blitzes weren't working against Drake May in the first half, Mike McDonald just kept sending blitz after blitz after blitz to speed up the process of Drake May in an ultimately led to three interceptions in the fourth quarter. So I don't have that much of a concern that the bills will increase their sack number just based on the aggressive philosophy that Jim Leonard is going to bring to this defense. I've been using lately a boxing analogy comparison with the bill's defense McDermott to Leonard with McDermott. It's been Floyd Mayweather, break counterpuncher adapts kind of, you know, sees what the opponent has and then you act accordingly. Thomas Hurnes is more like Jim Leonard Thomas Hurnes is going to come knock you out or

25:38is going to get knocked out. That's just how he is. He comes forward and he just threw punches. That's all he did, right? I kind of feel like that's going to be the bill's defense. And I'm excited to see that. I'm excited to see how that plays out real quick for him move on to the last few here. TJ Parker. Well, what have you seen from in the summer? How is he looked to you? I'm not going to say that I'm backtracking as I'm not going to backtrack. I continue to say if it was me and they had to take an edge, I would have preferred our Mason Thomas or or Cassius Hall or more twitchy, you know, prototypical past rusher, but I understand why he took TJ Parker, the skillset being well-rounded, you could play the run better. And I'm coming around to that for sure. But what have you seen from TJ Parker? Well, first off, I'll say I was a big Cassius Hall lover in the draft and that's who I would have selected. If I was the bills GM, what I think played into the TJ Parker pick like you referenced for as much as getting after the quarterback, we just talked about it. And that is the most important thing for a defense in today's NFL. I do think that how poorest the bill's run defense was last year also factored into that

26:42pick where they're like, we can't necessarily make our first pick early in the second round be someone that is like not going to participate in the run game very much. And it's just going to be that designated past rusher that Brandon Bean references a lot. I compared him to Rashon Gary before the draft and he was a player that took time in Green Bay. But then when he really matured, understood past rush moves, got a little stronger, was a really good player before he got injured. Like was a was your double digit sack guy? I like the fact that he worked out with Bradley Chubb and I think although he's not quite the athletic specimen that Bradley Chubb was coming out of NC State in 2018, similar body type. He's going to set a sturdy edge, but he can also win with finesse moves with his hands and power. So I don't know if it was a tremendous like eye opening summer, but I feel like he'll be part of that collective past Russian group where I could see him four, five, six sacks as a rookie. And I think that would be a feather in the cap for Brandon Bean and Jim Leonard to get that production out of their first pick for the first time in a while.

27:46I want to flip to the other side of the football and talk about Keon Coleman and look, I could paint a picture for 20 minutes. I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to go right straight forward to the point. Can you trust Keon Coleman? Can he be trusted this year? Not that one surprised me with Keon Coleman. He could have a great year, not surprise. He could have another year, it just doesn't click for him and it's just not going to win Buffalo. And that wouldn't surprise me either. I just, I feel like they're going to have to trust him because I feel like he's going to have opportunity. Yeah. So where I've landed on Keon Coleman and there is some, I don't want to say draft bias based in because I wasn't huge on Keon Coleman in 2024. And then the last two seasons, he has not really been productive. He's been really disappointing as an early second round pick in that White receiver draft. Anything that the bills get out of Keon Coleman, I think they should view it as like a luxury or a cherry on top. We're like, we're not expecting him to come in and catch 55 passes for 850 yards with

28:49six touchdowns and even give the bills like a Gabe Davis type season. It feels like the bills are still very invested in him and that Joe Brady and maybe this unadulterated version of his offense without Sean McDermott kind of helping with the game plan and thing. Let's play Keepaway. Let's run it 50 50 run past 50 50 that maybe he does have more of a specific plan for Keon Coleman, but with DJ Moore with Concade healthy with James Cook coming off the rushing title. Josh Palmer healthy. You add up all of those other options and it feels like he's option five four five six in the offense. So if there's a game where Keon Coleman maybe it's Sunday has two catches for 45 yards, I don't think you have to look back through the lens of hey, he was a 33rd pick. He should be get I don't think he's that guy. I don't think the bills feel like he's going to be the heir apparent to DJ Moore and be the White receiver one. Anything they can get from him is a bonus.

29:50I don't have a lot of confidence that he's going to become this quality White receiver two or even a really good White receiver three, but if he can just stay on the field show up to his meetings on time, not drop a ton of passes, understand where he needs to be, then I think at this point you just kind of have to like repurpose your views on like expectations for Keon Coleman that he is more of a bottom of the White receiver room type player and just let him not have to reach higher expectations because I just don't think he has the separation ability to be that type of player in today's NFL. I couldn't agree with you more. If we're sitting here and we were projecting numbers and if you're going to base Keon Coleman, have it a good season on him having 65 catches for 800 yards and nine touchdowns, I'd be stunned if that happens. Sure. I've used a comparison and some people on Twitter don't like this and I really don't care because I stand by it. If he could have a Tyrell Shaver's type of role on this team and here's what I mean. Tyrell Shavers played a lot and Shavers was probably their best blocking White receiver last year.

30:55I think Keon might be the most certainly is the most physical Black and White receiver on the team right now, right? If he could be on the field, Blackwell do the little things and make a play when he has an opportunity. He could have a two catch 21 yard game, but maybe one of those catches is a big play. So I kind of feel like that Tyrell Shavers role for him is my realistic expectation of what I would see. Now, if you're trying to force him into being a star player, which again, that's something that could concern me that they want him to be good so bad that they're going to force him the football. Then I think bad things are going to happen real quick too because we're recording this Thursday around 1 30 p.m. Jim Leonard spoke to the media for what it's worth. He said that he's going to call plays from the field this year. They were kind of going back and forth. So he has landed on call and plays from the field. He said he wants to be on the sidelines emphasized direct communication and feeling the energy from there. So if people were wondering if you're going to see Leonard up in the booth after a good player on the field, they'll be on the football field.

31:58Two more I want to get to the offensive line. Continuity's been incredible at the offensive line. I think maybe on this team, something besides Josh Allen being so good that I think it's taken for granted all the time is the offensive line. How good it's been and how healthy the injury luck has been on the offensive line. That concerns me some. Dehons getting up there in age two, you know what I mean? McGovern has been dinged up at camp. That and Alec Anderson being a new starter and Aaron Krohm are not being the whole line coach anymore. Add all that up and I feel good about the offensive line but I don't feel like it's something that I could set it and forget it and not even have to worry about like I had the past few years. I was going to say it's almost felt like that the last three or four years, right? That like the bills, they would maybe rotate out the left guard but over the last two years, David Edwards was such a rock there at left guard. Osiris Torrance hasn't been spectacular but he's been super durable. He's played every snap essentially. You got the two tackles that are really good and really athletic. In general, I mean because of the changes, there's a little bit more of a question mark

33:02but I think the fact that Alec Anderson is like a homegrown talent. He started at Wright Tackle in that game against Pittsburgh last year where they ran for a million yards in that game. He's been that extra jumbo blocker. The other line mates know him well. They have good camaraderie. We'll see how the communication goes in game. But I still think that will be one of the strong units of this team where you only have to replace one new starter and their teams. The Houston Texans are still reshuffling their offensive line for the second season. The Cleveland Browns have five new starters. I know you don't want to necessarily compare to the Browns at the point. But I think a lot of teams have to replace one starter, two starter, sometimes three starters or they lose someone that they're expecting to be a starter like Braden Smith for the Texans who they signed from the Colts this off season is on I.R. He's not playing in this game. He got injured in a joint practice in August. So I think the bills, although they didn't have Conor McGovern for much of the summer once they got back to

34:03Orchard Park when he got injured in the Blue and Red Scrimmage, they know who their starters are going to be. They've seen that Alec Anderson won that job. They have Austin Corbett behind him who has played a ton of football. Lloyd Kushinberry who was Joe Brady's center at LSU in 2019 as the backup to Conor McGovern. I think they're actually in a pretty darn good spot. But you are right. Like relative to how stable it's been, you can be a little bit concerned. But I think if you look at it from the grand scheme of things across all 32 NFL teams, this is still one of the best units in the NFL. And I think Dan Dawkins is one of the most important players on this team this year. You always, at some point, you're going to regress and you hope it's not now. You know what I mean? He's too reported to be able to regress. He's dropped some weight. He feels good. So hopefully that translates. He's still one of the better left tackles and football, in my opinion, no doubt about it. Last one. And look, there's no way to answer it until it happens because we don't have anything to go off of. Like if this would have been a Shaw McDermick question, we kind of had a lot of years of

35:06experience watching it. Joe Brady will the moment get too big for him in the biggest moments. I love Shaw McDermick. I think he was a great at coach. I think as the years go on and 20 years from now, we look back at this era. He's going to be remembered almost universally finally. And there's a lot of people who think of finally him right now, but then there's some who blame him for everything, right? But there were moments, Chris and the playoffs where I feel like the moment just got big too big for him. And he just refused to be aggressive when he should have been that Denver's on defensive plays late in the game situations like that. I don't know that Joe Brady's going to shy away from being aggressive. I just, I don't know. We're going to have to learn is the are the moments going to be too big because that as much as anything else other than Josh L and may end up determining how this season finishes for the bills. 100% and this to me like we said or like earlier, I said, I think the sacks and how they generate pressure is the biggest like

36:08question mark on the defensive side in terms of long term like from week one through the playoffs. The situational in game management for Joe Brady is simultaneous. The huge on Sunday because these bills, Texans games have been super close to last three or four times that they played. And just over the course of the season because when you are in the playoffs as the bills fans certainly know like it can be a decision to go for it or to punt or to kick a feel goal or not or throw a or throw a challenge flag or not can be the difference and is often the difference in a win or a loss whether you're going home or moving on. So I think I always think back to all the reports while the bills were going through their head coaching search that they had their director of analytics, Dennis Locke give all the candidates like a quiz on game management. And apparently Joe Brady aced it and he was the highest graded coach or candidate at the time to go through that test. So I think that is something that I will be very much focusing on

37:11writing about it rumblings talking on the bills radio network about is dissecting all of those decisions. And I think in general like you kind of hinted at he will be more aggressive. And that's usually good. I mean there's all the statistical models out there where it's fourth and three and they tell you to go for it or not. I think there's a stronger likelihood that like whether it's this week and week two against the Patriots against the Rams where the bills go for it and they ultimately don't convert that we need to not say hey that was a bad decision. Why'd you do that? I think as long as he is staying true to whatever philosophy he has or what the models are mostly saying that it was actually you know adding win probability that we can't get on Joe Brady too much for being too aggressive because I would rather my head coach especially when you have Josh Alan and James Cook in the offensive line and all the weapons. Be more aggressive and keep the foot on the gas as opposed to like you reference a few times even the first AFC title game against

38:13the chiefs where Sean McDermott was on the conservative side and what really felt like he was trying to play not to lose. I think Joe Brady will be more playing to win but calling the plays and all the in-game management that will certainly be a test for him and we need to be watching how well he handles that all of that and being the CEO and the play caller in game throughout this season. Last thing I want you to give me a few quick keys to victory for the bills here on Sunday and you brought up a good point. The bills can't win in Houston lately right. The offense has played like shit in Houston lately that said they've been close games. The bills have had opportunities to even win these games. Despite Josh Alan going nine for 30 a few years ago throwing having to throw to Matt Collins because he didn't really have anybody else that week and last year was just kind of like a house of whores offensively but they busted a kickoff return cookbuss in a long run and they still they all they were in a great position to win the game at the end last year. So these have

39:17been close games. What are a couple of your keys and I know you've written about this too at Romley's what are your biggest keys to a bill's win here to start the season for offense. I think and this is something that you won't hear or read from me very often. They need to not abandon the run like I'm the biggest believer like the the offense should be if they have games where they're throwing it 70% of the time and only running at 30% of the time I'm all for that because for as good as James Cook is and the offense of line is Josh Alan's the best player in the NFL. He can do more with less than any other player and but last year James Cook had the 45 year touchdown in the first half seven carries for 76 yards at half time and then he like was barely utilized in a second half that got pretty tight because the bill's defense actually played well against Davis Mills. So I think even if the game gets where the bills are trailing by three or six or seven or even ten James Cook also did lead the league in rushing last season. He can break off those big plays. So

40:18not abandoning the run I think is important. Taking shot plays off play action where you're not an empty and you're not letting Will Anderson and Denel Hunter just pit their years back like they did for most of the second half in that game when Josh Alan was sacked eight times. I think those are the most important on offense and on defense. Blitzing CJ Stroud when he has time we know he is one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the NFL. He did lose Jaden Higgins his second year wide receiver but Nico Collins is like a borderline superstar and if you're not blitzing and you're trying to sit back and allowing that long stride receiver to get down the field I think that's a recipe for disaster. So speed up the internal clock for CJ Stroud because he's not super mobile. He can throw on the run a little bit but he's not creating off structure. So we've been all kind of asking and calling for more pressure and more aggression from Jim Leonard and I are expecting that. I think this needs to be a game where he stays true to that philosophy and dials up a lot of exotic blitzes towards CJ Stroud. All right, man. Great stuff. Make sure you're following Chris on Twitter at

41:22Christopher Passal Buffalo Rumlings dot com. I see it every week when Matt Moore is on the show of me. He doesn't show me every week at your your one stop shop for all Buffalo bills. So make sure you go there. Make sure you turn on 97 rock or whatever if you're in a different affiliate two hours before the game. Obviously, it loves all 11 at a.m. I'm going to be checking you and Mitch out at 11 a.m. on Sunday, man. I'm looking forward to it. Wish you the best of luck. I hope you have a great time doing it. I'm sure you will and thanks for coming on here again today, dude. All right, Pat. Thanks for having me. All right, guys. Thank you so much. Sunday night 9 p.m. Winter lose. I'm going to be live Joe from Queens and I will have live reaction from this bill's game on Sunday. Enjoy the weekend. Talk to you guys soon.