Did Bills make right call naming Damar Hamlin starter? Plus more Stefon Diggs drama

what is up everybody Welcome to game we the bills and the Cardinals they're going to get it on on Sunday in five days but we got a lot to cover before then right here on shout of Buffalo Bills football podcast I am at High Mark Stadium the bills wrapped up practice couple hours ago we got to talk to a few players in the locker room we got to talk to Shawn McDermot a lot of updates a lot to get into Ryan talbat how are you my friend I am doing great man it is game week I'm ready to go excited for this weekend it's going to be a good time it is going to be a good time and you know I think one of the biggest questions that was remaining for the Buffalo Bills was who was going to start opposite Taylor RP at that other safety spot and you know everywhere else that you look the bills put out their first depth chart uh yesterday there's a lot of positions where okay this is what I expected right the biggest question maybe on the front AJ Essa over Von Miller but Von Miller even said it today like he's fine coming off the bench if that's what it ends up being uh to to kind of give way to a young player like AJ fanessa to take a starting role but the bills officially named Demar Hamin as the starter he will start with uh at safety with Taylor rap on the back end if you've been watching shout all summer Ryan I don't think that you'd be very surprised this wasn't a surprising development for me he knows the defense the best he is probably the healthiest at this point and he's going to be in a spot at the beginning of the season with a huge opportunity playing alongside rout yeah had the bills been healthy at safety all summer Cole Bishop Mike Edwards I think it'd be someone different starting opposite Taylor rap that's obvious but Demar Hamlin of those three stayed the healthiest he did suffer an injury uh joint practice against Pittsburgh missed some time but he was still there all throughout training camp whereas bishop and Edwards missed so many reps on the field it was DeMar Hamlin that was working with the one ones getting all those reps like you said is the one that knows this Playbook extensively inside and outside so in terms of this week one match up yeah Demar Hamin by far makes the most sense to start off Taylor R once they see Mike Edwards and Cole Bishop practice a little bit more prove that they can stay healthy could I see that change 100% but for now Hamlin is the right choice if you're watching on YouTube right now welcome in hit that like button subscribe as well we're we're thrilled if you're watching on any platform over on Facebook on X as well if you're listen ing on the audio platforms leave a festar review leave a a few comments we really appreciate that things are kicking up on The Insider text line Ryan uh all week long we're going to have people covered with everything that's happening at the building here today and I'm working on a big Craig rouso story uh right now for this weekend look if you look across this roster you know with Matt Milano out on the defensive side of the ball especially to me I don't know if there is a guy who is under the microscope more than Greg ruso and entering what's a contract year a guy that for the first couple years of his year sitting at 17 and a half uh of his career 17 and a half sacks for as good as he's been I think you can make an argument that he's probably underperformed to where that he was drafted as a pass rusher right like rushing the quarterback like I feel like this is a huge year for him and I think that he's kind of set up to to make a big jump so we'll see if um he can do that all eyes are on him and you know how he can contain Kyler Murray this weekend I'm excited for Greg rouso excited to watch him play this feels a little bit like what we were maybe anticipating out of Ed Oliver last year and I think Ed Oliver went above and beyond anyone's expectations last season but we were expecting that leap we were expecting him to continue to climb his play for Gregor so now is the time we know that he has become a plus run Defender we've seen the flashes as a pass rusher we know that he has the long wing span that can bat passes all that is great but if he can take that next stop as a pure pass rusher getting after Kyler Murray getting after these other quarterbacks on the schedule getting those double digit sacks which I think he has the potential to do that will be huge for this bill's roster it'll be big for the back end of this defense with the uncertainty in the safety room and you know against a guy like Kyler Murray you're hoping that they can get after make him uncomfortable but to your point Point Murray can run he can take off with his legs if he gets away from that first Defender so the bills do have to be able to contain him uh if there's a team that can do it I think it's Buffalo we have seen kind of the bills have this great blueprint over the years of containing running quarterbacks we've seen what they've done to Lamar Jackson the last few games uh we know that they can kind of hold Kyler Murray in that pocket and and make him a pure passer more of a passer than anything else if that's what happens I think that bodess well for buffalo on Sunday yeah I I also like to your you were hitting on it there a little bit like I bring up ruso because to me the concerns about Demar Hamlin being in the starting position once again I mean if you go back two years it was a lot of up and downright before the injury in Cincinnati we we covered that quite a bit I think the fact that they went out and drafted Cole Bishop brought and Mike Edwards after they lost puyer and Hyde was to a degree to mitigate what they had the problems that they already had on their roster now I think that this is an opportunity for Demar Hamlin to maybe grasp a hold of a a rotational spot I don't know if he ends up being the starter long term we'll see how it goes early the season but I'm not ruling out the possibility that he kind of takes the bull by the horns if you will and goes out and has a really good start to the season you know makes a couple of Big Time plays isn't in a spot where you know some of the learning curve that he was experiencing in year two people forget that too Ryan like he was a seconde sixr draft pick thrown into a huge situation over the course of a of a of a season filling in for a guy like Micah Hyde I'm still bullish on what Demar Hamlin can be and he's the most experienced guy in this specific defense and I bring up rouso like I mentioned because if this line is doing what they're hoping it can do that takes some of the pressure off the back end which you kind of alluded to there yeah Demar Hamlin had his ups and downs when he saw significant reps um a few years ago when he had to play due to injuries that's to be expected when you're a young player when you're sitting behind guys like Micah Hyde and Jordan puyer you're not expecting your number to get called then everything that happens in Cincinnati last year was almost kind of like a red shirt season for him yeah he's on the roster but we're not going to play major reps with him on defense he playing special teams we'll get him mixed in at times a year remov from that a full season remov from that now is the time for Hamlin to show the flashes of what he did the first time he was able to get on the field uh that athleticism he made some nice plays like I said ups and downs there were times where he was not where he needed to be in coverage but now that he knows this system that much better two more you know multiple years of experience added under his belt I have high expectations that at minimum this is a player that's going to be where he's supposed to be he might not make those you know great plays like what we saw in the playoff game years ago with Micah H uh Hyde catching that interception in The End Zone it might not be the instincts of a Jordan poyer in what we saw from him over the years but as long as he is where he needs to be on the field no blown coverage or assignments the bills can get by with that Taylor WP and obviously those three cornerbacks which are among the best in the league if you're watching on YouTube like I mentioned hit that like button a lot of uh activity in uh the comments right now as we soar over 500 across all platforms Teddy brings up uh you know one of I think the top storylines here as you kind of look at the next couple of days leading into this opener is the one position where if I was power ranking biggest question marks on the field on Sunday against the Cardinals I'd probably start at weakside linebacker with uh Dorian Williams and Teddy asked I really hope that Dorian Williams takes a huge step this year not confident our safeties and it will be super important to have a good linebacker play to make up for that um down a couple uh Charles says wish we got to see Bernard and Milano play together and I I think that's gonna be something really interesting to watch now trell Bernard the bills we could talk about the captain's announcement today but Bernard talking about what this week has been like he spent a lot of time with Dorian Williams he's been spending a lot of times with Dorian Williams the idea is that that to him is what he can give Williams Because on game day the communication between those two out on the field Ry is going to be so important to what they're trying to do and it's going to help put Dorian Williams in a position to make plays if Bernard could take some of the pressure off with that high-end communication knowing the situations before they're in them I think that'll allow Doran Williams to play a little bit Freer a little bit faster but there might be a little bit of a learning curve there and man doesn't that speak volumes in terms of the Bill's name Bernard one of their two captains today the fact that he's already showing that leadership of okay it wasn't that long ago that I was kind of in Dorian Williams's shoes where I was in the mix for a starting job uh and won it now you know Dorian Williams wasn't in the mix for a starting job he was backing up Matt Milano but Milano now is going to miss significant time and he is that next man up so now he is imparting that leadership of I'm going to let you know I'm going to be around Dorian Williams I'm going to let him pick my brain uh so up anything that he can because on the field those two need to be communicating at all times on the same page like we've seen over the years whether it be Milano and Edmonds whether it be you know Milano and Bernard for that stint last year pre Milano injury it's really important for these guys to be on the same page and Bernard is already doing you know I would say going above and beyond what he has to do heading into week one we're gonna get into Stefon Diggs here in a few minutes a big uh article Le drop from GQ uh you and I were talking about it uh over TCH the last couple of days and I think that be a nice way to put a bow on that storyline well at least until week five right when the Bills play the the Houston Texans um we'll get to that in a few minutes I want to go over the injury report and it's it's crazy because two weeks ago Ryan I think that there was a little bit of panic setting in amongst Bills fans about the fact that a lot of guys were banged up um a lot of guys Quest question marks around a couple of guys in terms of their status for the opener we get to today Shawn mcder delivers the injury report Quinton Morris who was dealing with that shoulder I believe uh Curtis Samuel with the turf toe uh and then who was the other one off the top of my head that is back fully in practice that was a little bit of a question mark Cole Bishop maybe the most important one we can get to that in a moment um Mitchell trabis is the one guy that's still kind of hanging out there dealing with the knee he was limited in practice today sha mcder basically said it's they're going to take it one day at at a time they're really really healthy I think Samuel's the most important piece for me in that he's trending in a great Direction uh gonna probably play uh on Sunday which is a huge development yeah that is a massive development that obviously uh it's good seeing how healthy this team is in terms of the initial injury report having Javon Solomon is a did not participate due to the oblique Mitch trabis limited but three guys that you're going to be counting on a lot this season over the course of the Year being full participants uh it's a really encouraging sign Quinton Morris we've talked about his importance as tight end Three Special Teams player Curtis Samuel obviously coming in knowing this system under Joe Brady having him active and ready to play in week one I think will be great for this offense in terms of a sneak peak of how I think they want to utilize him might not ever be a heavy volume guy in terms of Target but there's going to be handoffs involved there going to be moving him around putting him in the back field keeping the defenses off guard and leading to some big plays and opportunities for Samuel in that stretch and obviously Cole Bishop you know getting the rookie as many reps as he can get on the practice field um the better for him after missing so much time this summer got a new uh YouTube uh member you could pay I think it's like 199 or 299 a month and all of your comments basically come flying in in big bold green letters on the side so we always uh see them gives you priority it comes up in our star section so shout out to David who's already an Insider now he's all in on YouTube he was asking us when the next time we were going to go with out if you have questions drop them uh in the question box on the side here and we will get to them over the course of this episode and if you're in Buffalo and you're looking for something to do tonight I'm heading over to Sunny Reds from here after this uh podcasting with Pat Moran and Howard Simon the legend uh tonight so I'm excited for that all right let's get to Stefon Diggs Ryan because hopefully everybody went and read his the article in GQ he talked a lot about the deterioration I think is the best way to characterize it his time in Buffalo you know it started on such a high note back in 2020 and actually going back and looking at that that season in 2021 the stats just jump off a pro football reference at you but basically insinuated that the bill didn't want to get rid of him it was him that wanted to kind of get out of town get things shaking as he said because only he can get things shaking what did you make of that to start because from my perspective Brandon bean I think wanted to keep very professional I went back and listened to his press conference after the trade happened and I don't think he wanted to air the dirty laundry but right it felt like the bills wanted to get out of the Stefon Diggs business just as much as Diggs wanted to get out of the bills business and I think that the the reason for that more than anything is that they're willing to eat that $31 million cap hit just to not have him around anymore we've seen the smiles we've seen the the looseness inside the building I think Stefon Diggs is a huge personality a good one a positive one in a lot of ways but for whatever reason he tends to wear on an organization over time things it it tends to you know run its course I it's not lost on me that Dawson KNX said that this is is the most fun he's had as an NFL player this summer this season there is an anchor that has been you know removed from the ship that is Buffalo and that is Stefan Diggs he is a talented player he was loved by many of his teammates still is I know he still has a close relationship with James Cook and I'm sure many other guys but it wears on you the sideline Outburst what maybe went on behind closed doors it wears on you it wears on your psyche it wears on everyone from the players the coaching staff even the front office of oh gosh here we go again another uh tweet that uh might mean something but it doesn't just come out and say it and you know yeah maybe he wanted it out he said he was in the worst head space of his career last year uh talked about how he didn't forget how to play football down the stretch but he also made it seem like he was just not a featured part of this offense and 80 targets over that stretch of time that he was talking about give or take tells you that he was still a big part of the game plan over those final 10 games uh or or around 10 games what have you it's just whatever reason when the when Joe Brady came along especially I think that Brady kind of said you're still our best weapon but we need to spread this ball around for it's what's best for this offense there are games we have to run the ball and when you are an alpha wide receiver you are a guy that wants to to help your team win it probably rubs you the wrong way when you feel like you're being phased out I don't think Buffalo phased out intentionally I think that led though to some of this the head space comments how he felt how he said the bills didn't want to get rid of him he wanted to move on so be it I think he's in a better place for himself right now head spacewise named a captain in with the Texans uh I'm sure just like anything else in in due time that could go sour uh he's under contract for this season based on how they reworked his deal so maybe it'll be just everything comes up a better roses this year for him in Houston in terms of his personality and it allows him to sign elsewhere or extend there but he wore out his welcome in Buffalo he he wore on the teammates wore on the front office the coaching staff and it's no coincidence that this summer it seemed like the offense was having a lot of fun celebrating all the scores at training camp uh they seem so much looser this summer now will that lead to another afc's title will that lead to another playoff run we'll find out here in a few months but it certainly seems like the bills aren't uh exactly too hurt about losing Stefan Diggs right and I think what happened last year and the way that things shifted is like sometimes you have to adjust to the change or the evolution of Father Time right like I mean Stefon Diggs going into his year uh year 30 season he's not going to be the same guy that he was at 27 and 28 and I think the way that you have to operate in this league when things change if you don't change fast enough the league catches up and what happened was the bills weren't winning games despite some of his big-time performances and listen go and look at his stats the the the target share was off the charts through the first seven or eight games of the season I mean while Ken dorsy was the offensive coordinator he was getting 11 12 13 14 targets per game like in that range and they they drastically changed that and that's when it it made it harder on defenses to figure out okay we could take Stefon Diggs away but they're still finding ways to move the ball and score points whether it be with an improved running game and maybe he just didn't like that and maybe that's why he wanted to shake away don't forget maybe it brought up you know skeletons of the past like in Minnesota when they wanted to start to run the ball more with dvin cook and be a more run offense or lean into that part of their identity that's when Stefon dick started to be like well I want to get out of here I want the targets here's the wild part about Stefon Diggs Ryan if he wasn't happy with last year and the target share or the lack or perceived lack of targets how's he gonna react now in Houston when they got to try to find a way to get all of those guys involved so I'm very interested to see how this story ARC develops how CJ Stroud kind of fights against that sophomore slump that's happened for so many quarterbacks and with all those miles de feed before it was just a bunch of young guys right tankal Nico Collins a bunch of you know they got Joe Mixon in the you know what's happening when Joe Mixon now and that's not looking like the Cincinnati Bengals offense the last couple of years how is he going to be in the room so I I think the bills are so excited and I think the great place to not necessarily the digs is gone but what this could look like now you know k Shakir like the the way that he's talking about the freedom in this offense from week to week to let everybody kind of have a piece of this thing you could feel what that is a departure from with what they were fighting against early last season I think 100% And you know I see some comments in here Walter seems like a stretch uh with Dawson ox's comments I don't necessarily think it is a stretch if you look at what the bills model was this summer Everybody Eats that's another thing that tells me that you know there's no ego here you're going to be happy for your teammate if he goes off one week and then you go off the next if it's James Cook and Ray Davis running the ball if it's D concade three weeks in a row being that guy there are no egos everyone just wants to win everyone wants to move the ball uh score points like you said where I'm sure when you're winning Stefon digs was happy and you know the Steelers uh playoff game late in the season turning it things around getting back into into the playoffs but when they came short up again of winning the Super Bowl I'm sure that's when everything kind of resonates and Bubbles up and like you said he's arguably you know wide receiver two wide receiver three on that team uh there are going to be games where I think his targets will be low I think that there will be games where they do lean on their running game game and their running backs they have a solid uh you know depth chart there behind Joe Mixon too so it it'll be interesting to see if there's any Tantrums or out on the sidelines he's a competitive guy but it was time for everyone to turn the page it's time to kind of for the bills to move on like you said all this will come up again in a few weeks when they play each other but besides that it's time for everyone to turn the page um if you're looking to turn to the page to a whole new level of Buffalo Bills coverage come and be an Insider uh shout Buffalo Bills Insider by texting 716 528 6727 gives you 247 access to Ryan talin and Matt Perino uh we love interacting with everybody on The Insider text line uh which is brought to you by Carrie C buer attorney with the law offices of Francis M litra located at 237 Main Street in Buffalo New York if you are someone you know is seriously injured give them a call 716 85212 34 or check out lola.com okay I want to ask you something about and discuss this a little bit you know the depth chart came out yesterday we mentioned that M Hollands listed at the top of the chart wide receiver the first wide receiver uh posted and you know you never know which wide receiver position and in here whatever but it's almost like the five wide receivers are interchangeable that's the way that that you know we've just talked about everybody eats and all that so he's listed as the first wide receiver up there ahead of Keon Coleman and I'm wondering if we set the stage set the table for Sunday what are your first game expectations for m because if you look at over the course of his career it has been mostly around 20 to 30 targets per season okay 2017 he played with Philadelphia 16 games no starts 22 targets 16 catches 2019 uh 23 targets 10 catches 22 targets and 10 catches um that was all in Philadelphia 25 Target 16 catches with Miami and 20 28 targets and 14 catches in 21 with Miami last year with Atlanta 30 targets 18 catches dud one aberration was in Las Vegas 94 targets and 57 catches 690 yards four touchdowns with the Raiders where does he fall in line in this receiving group in Target share on on Sunday and Beyond like looking at the whole season picture yeah I think there will be some games where his targets are probably higher than you expect uh but I wouldn't be shocked if you fell into the 4050 range um because you you have other guy I think K Shakir is going to eat up a lot of targets you're going to have Dalton concade getting a ton of targets seeing a huge spike in his looks I think Dawson Knox have healthy they'll run some two tight end sets he'll get a lot of looks I've already mentioned Curtis Samuel and then as the season goes on you're going to try to get Keon Coleman out there more not just in the Red Zone necessarily not just uh splitting time he'll probably take over more that role if things go well if he shows um you know how well that he's growing as a player and getting better so I you're not going to see the the 90 targets minus multiple injuries if 90 plus targets happens in Buffalo something went very very wrong that's not a knock on mck Holland Mack Holland is going to be a guy that you want on the field to block he's going to be a guy on the field where on some games he might end up with five six receptions uh but more times than not I think you're going to see a limited Target share just based on like you said how interchangeable a lot of these receivers are and how important it's going to be to get the backs going and get your two top tight ends involved I don't think Mt Holland should have more targets or more snaps than Keon Coleman in any game this season but one of the concerns that I have is that you know going off of this depth chart Shawn mcder is notorious for making rookies earn it right like to feel like like they're in a spot where they have to kind of continually build throughout the course of the Season not trying to give them too much too soon and there's so much opportunity I almost feel like when there's so much opportunity in a room like there is at receiver it's almost like Shawn mcder goes into overdrive to like quell too much um responsibility put on these young players and I don't know sometimes I think that that could be to these players detriments I think that there's to a degree Keon Coleman should be kind of given the opportunity to go out there and try to make play plays and I think we could be looking at a 6040 kind of snap percentage count with Advantage Hollands on Sunday and I think it should probably be reversed I don't mind it in week one week two is you're letting Keon Coleman get you know dip his toes in the water I I think that by even by week four week five though you do need to flip this script you need to let Keon Coleman take the majority of the shares even if it is 6040 uh or something along those lines I think on Sunday though you make sure if you get in the Red Zone if the opportunity comes up give him a chance to make a play there make a big first play first impression in Buffalo would go a long way obviously again situation has to be right you can't force feet it we just talked about moving on from a receiver that they were forced feeding the ball to at times uh but early on here as Keon Coleman is getting you know situated to the live game against other opponents I not I'm not upset if it is uh Matt Hollins getting more reps you know Keon Coleman didn't play a ton of reps in the preseason either because of injuries and uh things like that so I I think it just takes a little bit it might take a little bit more time and patience will be needed Sean uh Murphy Bunting and Starling Thomas uh then Garrett Williams in the slot those are the cornerbacks for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday the other piece of this is is I think this is an opportunity before the going gets tough right like I mean you're going to face a secondary in Miami Jacksonville Baltimore in a couple weeks where things are going to be really challenging two times against the Jets this season so I just think building a little bit of confidence in week one finding away if I'm Joe Brady I'm trying to figure out a package of plays or a a a series of opportunities for Coleman put him in a spot to try to make plays build some of that confidence early in the season and and if that happens I I wouldn't be upset with that either so you raise some good points it will get tougher the matchups the the situations but they kind of leans also into the I'm not against Matt Collins staying at that you know 6040 share with him being the 60 early on in some of these games against secondaries that have some high-end Talent where his savviness his veteran uh experience might lean into and favor him a little bit more where Coleman could you know know face off against someone where he does get shut down locked up and that will take it make things a little bit more complicated for Buffalo not predict uh predicting that's exactly what will happen but I can see why you know Matt Collins right now is at the top of the depth chart above him and why he might start the season with a few more shares in terms of overall targets uh I was actually talking to uh khil Shakir about ma Hollands today and I asked him uh if you had to explain Mack Hollands to somebody that doesn't know him at all and has never met him and like the dynamic that he brings he's like well I'd call him like old school but he's kind of like old old school like a throwback to like the caveman and like all that kind of stuff you know leaning into like his whole shtick but like he basically said that Matt Hollands is the guy that gets that room charged up like you hear him on the practice field you hear him out in like the like in the practic setting I think that they're going to lean on him to really get that that that room dialed up and I appreciate that piece of it he's also a really good blocker I think he's going to be a part of things in the Run game and I think he's a better receiver than he's given credit for but I do tend to agree with Walter who I think makes a good point and asks you this questions and I'll I'll pivot it back over to you and let you answer uh after I give my take you trust a wide receiver that is 30 and only had over 20 reception receptions once in a seven-year career over a rookie second round draft pick and I think that's the piece of it that I'm leaning the most into is like this is a guy that they specifically targeted with a premium asset to come in here on a year where they're moving on from two Staples to be a big piece of what they do offensively and hearing Josh Allen talk about Keon Coleman today if and and Coleman talk about it as well it feels like he's ready like he wants this opportunity let the guy go out there and see if he can make plays and I'm okay with that but again when it comes to rookie wide receivers more times than not they start off pretty slow I I think there are three special receivers in this draft class they might be the exception to the rule but there were some guys in last year's draft class that were hyped up be you know beyond belief going into the regular season and some of them had okay Seasons some of them uh didn't show as well as they thought you know Jackson Smith and jig BBA ended up with like 60 plus receptions 600 yards four touchdowns but if you remember there were some that thought he was the best receiver in this draft class he was going to really help in Seattle take them over over the top rookies start off slow so yeah right now I would trust a 30-year-old receiver that's a you know a better blocker more season blocker a guy that the the bills have the utmost confidence in this is a short term right now I think as the season goes on they'll they would lean more into Keon Coleman giving him those opportunities but these next few weeks are against Great secondaries more times than not you want to Splash pull in and give him opportunities 100% I'm on board with that I just get Buffalo's rationale in terms of letting a guy with experience who when given an opportunity to be a big a bigger contributor in the passing game did help St and stand out a little bit in Las Vegas what's the over under on rushing yards this Sunday for the bills for you where you placing it you don't have to know the actual betting line no I don't know the actual betting but I'm just trying to think right now in terms of you know Allen cook I say they end up with I I'll give the number at to 140 140 rushing yards I'm with you like I think that the bills are going to be able to really aggressively run at the Arizona Cardinals I think you like you worry about Josh Allen and and you know maybe they have they dial up a few uh runs for him but I really think it's going to be about James Cook in this game like to me that's the the piece of of the puzzle like everybody's talking about that we we're talking about the wide receivers here for a 10 minutes and you know the Holland Coleman split and everything like that I think it's going to be a steady dose of James or of James Cook uh Tai Johnson Ray Davis listed as that uh running back number three not really surprised about that Ryan he had a great summer but the more more you go back and look at Tai Johnson last year there's a reason they prioritized him there's a reason they brought him back um and I think that you know there's a good chance that Tai Johnson has a little bit of a a role in this game on Sunday yeah and I'm fine with that too and sometimes with these depth charts if things are close or even you you list the veteran ahead I think Ray Davis has proved though that he can come in as a block or come in as a run or a pass catcher so all three backs are going to have their opportunities to make some plays on Sunday and I think that's pretty exciting all right uh if you're watching on YouTube hit that like button subscribe as well over a thousand people watching on a Wednesday evening I'm heading over to Sunny Reds in lacana uh to pod with my guy Pat Moran he's also having on Howard Simon which is going to be great uh we can't wait for that in a little while Ryan won't be there bummer but it's kind of a long drive he's got school tomorrow so there's that but I think we will be doing a little uh podcasting on Saturday so more details on that follow uh our good buddy Joe kro is putting together an event uh follow him on social media I think Eric wood is actually going to be making an appearance there as well I think Ryan and I are going to stop by so come out to that uh I want take a couple Insider questions before we get out of here first one comes from our good buddy David from what I recall Kansas City in part won the Super Bowl due to a really good defense definitely when will the bills defense coached by a defensive-minded person be able to be a defense that can bail out the offense especially perhaps now from time to time and ride up in the playoffs and pressure the quarterback when really needed I feel like I have almost given up there two years ago felt like our defense was El leite at times then Jordan Phillips got hurt later Von Miller and others you know the piece of this the the first thing that you have to talk about when you're talk about Kansas City's defense is sure Steve Spagnola is this genius right like this guy that puts together great game plans he's one of the elite defensive Minds in the game but he's got Superstars Ryan he's got Chris Jones in the middle he has got he's had some really good pass rushers on the outside over the years I mean Frank Clark was eating there on the outside for many years but he's also got players at the second and third level you know you think about a guy like lerus sne who's no longer there we'll see how they respond to that at the second level Nick Bolton's been a really good linebacker for them to me the bills need their Superstar players to play like superstars in big games that means at Oliver has got to show up in that game a little bit better last year the Bills have to better position him for that game Terrell Bernard their superstar burgeoning superstar middle linebacker he wasn't on the field and then you know rul Douglas we've learned the last couple days reporting from TY Dunn uh over at goong td.com that he played on a partially torn MCL in that game he wasn't even 100% Christian Benford wasn't even available Dane Jackson had to play so part of it is being healthy at that time of the year figuring out a way to keep your guys healthy but you can have all the great defense of Minds in the game in the end of the day and I think even Von Miller said this today in his press conference it's like the players play you could you can't make a special magic play to make up for the fact that you know players just have to make plays in the end and that's fair I I think it's a it's a middle ground because this defense has been very good in the regular season under Shawn mcder um whether it's been Leslie Frasier as the DC or whether it's been last year with mcder calling the plays as the head coach and you're hoping that continues under babage but this team does come up small in in the playoffs on the defensive side of the ball giving up way too many points after the way they play throughout the regular season and some of that maybe Falls on the way that they are the play calling in game but a lot of it has been the injuries too you look at what you know Von Miller was at that point in the season last year he actually flashed a little bit um late in the season but the passers was not great Leonard Floyd was not great at that point of the Season at Oliver disappeared in that game you mentioned no uh Bernard you know the list went on and on and on if they can be healthy late this season make the playoffs I feel like there will be enough there between the coaching the game planning and the talent where this could finally be that year but I understand why he would be upset because this is a defensive head coach if there's been one area where they've come up short every year in the playoffs it's on the defensive side of the ball with Josh Allen having to play herob ball uh in the sense that he keeps his team in every game essentially and the defense lets them down in the end another question on The Insider text line how did the Bills Miss so bad or we as in like media fans Miss so badly on dayquon Hardy and his performance at cornerback in camp at one point we were all thinking he had a we had a diamond in the rough who could uh back up Taran Johnson uh maybe even eventually be his predecessor I'm adding that part of it I mean I think we've even talked about that you know that it's an interesting conversation Ryan because I I felt like d dayquan Hardy's line was directly up from the start of training camp all the way till the time that you know I thought he was the biggest surprise cut and I think part of it is like we didn't think enough about the reason the bills drafted him in the sixth round I mean it was predominantly for his ability to return kicks and this is a team that has found Talent at the cornerback positions at the safety positions everywhere so I I I don't think with Taran Johnson just signing an extension that his replacement is necessarily on the mind of Brandon Bean or even factoring into final 53 man roster projections a a decision entering that conversation in two three years I mean a front office might not even be here in two three years if this thing things don't go right over the next couple yeah you know they've told they told us from day one they drafted him for his returnability on day three of the draft what he could do at cornerback would just be kind of like the the sprinkles on top so to speak he made some nice plays at cornerback at training camp there's no denying that um pass breakups getting in on plays I thought he was all around the football a lot in the preseason too his size though just missing some balls when he tries to bat him away not just missing some potential interceptions but in the return game they never had full faith they talked about the decisionmaking and well it improved in in you know over the course of the preseason but it was not at the point where they wanted it to be they weren't sure he'd be able to field those punts with the swirling winds they weren't sure that he would uh make the right decision on a punt maybe in inside the 10 are you going to just let it bounce and go into the end zone uh or is he going to catch it and then run backwards to try to make a play that is what a lot of their decision probably came down to is we're not getting enough out of him as a return man right now and that would be his his major role as a rookie had he made this roster and I will say even watching him out at practice like the the ball security issues are definitely there with him like I mean like there's times when he you know Fields punts Fields kicks and you're unsure about this the stability there like in putting the ball on the ground I mean that's going to be a a huge thing that I think is talked about over the next couple of weeks in the NFL as that new kickoff is finally employed and we see that in games uh it's going to be interesting to watch and that's just an area of Hardy's game that just hasn't come far enough in the Bill's mind and I actually applaud Bean for being aggressive and not just saying okay we drafted this guy we thought he could do it at a high level he might not be reaching here but maybe maybe he's here and we'll just we'll accept that and we'll take it in into the season because we drafted him we no he was aggressive he went out and he made a trade to get an option in here that they think that is better and I think that's a really important part of the game I mean for a a team in transition offensively whether it be identity wise or skill position playerwise to be able to put that offense in advantageous positions with the return game I think is a huge plus if you could do it oh it' be huge it it would be massive for this team uh if that happens if codrington comes in and looks the park even if he gets a kick out uh to Buffalo's 40 now doesn't have to be Midfield you give them that starting field position you're good things are going to happen more times than not if he rips off an even bigger return as a kick returner a pun returner that's just an added benefit so they're trying to hit those home runs they're trying to go the route they did the last time they added a a return man that had previously been with the Jets and a guy like Andre Robertson I'm not sure codrington will ever be that because Roberts was special in his prime as a return man but I don't mind the bill swinging on a guy that really showed up big time in the preseason as a kick returner punt returner when all they had to do was swap late 2026 picks to get the guy the upside is there we'll see if it pays off for them but it's a move that a a team like Buffalo should have been making or looking to make uh because field position is going to be massive for this team this season it is going to be a massive week right here on sh of Buffalo Bills football podcast make sure you like And subscribe on YouTube before you go we'll be back with a couple more episodes this week so keep it locked onto all the platforms so you know when we're going live um he's Ryan tbet I'm ma Pino active week enjoy it football is finally here we'll have football every single day starting tomorrow until the bills open or college football on Saturday uh we'll see you soon take care everybody