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Ep. 47 -Vermont Pop Up Pod
37 Plays1 year ago
The boys are together! In the same place! Come hang and listen to this grab bag of a conversation.
3 buds. 2 teams. 1 city - The "Let's Go Buffalo" Podcast. Your new favorite podcast for all things Sabres and Bills. Our mission is to be your guide through the ups and the downs of being a Buffalo Sports fan. We are not members of the media nor are we experts - we’re just 3 friends who love our hometown teams and want to bring you along for the ride. This podcast will be for both veteran and newly ordained fans. We’ll have in depth conversation and debate with a few “newbie” questions sprinkled in to keep everyone afloat.
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Transcript
Episode Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
watching the pro in the works picking up some you're listening to the let's go podcast your new favorite podcast
00:00:22
Speaker
Oh, what's going on, everybody? You're listening to the Let's Go Buffalo podcast with the pals Nigel, Tom and Jake. Episode 47 coming at you. Just crazy. Yeah. Episode 47 coming at you. Don't forget to give us a follow, like all that stuff. You can find us on all the social medias at Let's Go Buff Pod. Buff with two F's and you all of them. Instagram. X, YouTube, TikTok, you name it, we are there.
Social Media and Personal Catch-up
00:00:55
Speaker
um As you can see, we're all together for real in the flesh. um We took a quick little trip up here to say what's up to Tom's beautiful new baby, and also say hello to Tom. um The baby's not here right now, as you can see, but she's real and she's beautiful, so it's been really great, couple 24 hours here. ah Let's get around here. Tom, how you doing, buddy? I'm back.
00:01:18
Speaker
I'm back baby. Let's go. Y'all guys. Good to see you. I'm so glad you guys came up. It's been awesome. So good. Everybody's good. We've been really happy with the new baby girl at home and things been great. And just got to say, Mason Kate, go bills. That's very interesting dynamic here in the Smith box household as Katie is born and bred North, uh, New England. So um yeah, crazy stuff. Jake, how you doing
Sabers and Bills Agenda
00:01:42
Speaker
buddy? I'm great. I've been demoted to human mic stand and, uh,
00:01:47
Speaker
it's uh yeah go macy go bills it's been uh some tension amongst the parents here yeah a little bit early on it's going to be interesting to see how they and how they navigate everything um folks we're just hopping on here to do a quick little little live 20 30 minute hit here just because we're together and we don't get to do this uh as a as a trio like this very often so we just got a couple things that we're going to touch on Um, we're going to touch on one quick savers thing, a couple of those things to chat about, and then we're going to get out of here. So, um, Jake, you want to talk to us about what's the big thing in savers
Jeff Skinner Buyout Rumors
00:02:19
Speaker
world right now? Well, also we can't be out here too long. It's a million. It is, it is. It's we're doing this outside during the heat wave because like the the girls are inside.
00:02:27
Speaker
And it is freaking hot out here right now, folks. So ninety four yeah, we're all going to be damp in about 10 seconds. So if you see the sweat start to beat on the foreheads, yeah, it's more disgusting. So Jake, go ahead. So the quicksavers thing we wanted to talk about, we talked about Jeff Skinner a lot, an episode or two ago. You gotta make out with that thing, bro. Get in there. I gotta get real in there. This is interesting. This is interesting. um So we talked a lot about Jeff Skinner. We have heard more rumblings this morning from Elliott Friedman, hockey insider, about a buyout. um It seems like it's it's heading that way. the the The rumors are definitely swirling around it like crazy right now. i still don't like We haven't heard anything from Jeff Skinner or Kevin Adams about that. Not that you normally would in a bio. ah but like It's still just rumor mill stuff, but when Elliot Friedman's talking about it, it starts to carry a little bit more weight.
00:03:19
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. So it's, you know, some substance to it. Yeah. So it's worth talking about. Um, the numbers on the bio, they're not like egregiously terrible, but they're not great. Um, I think like if we bought them out this year, it's a little bit, it's pretty low. Next year is like 4.4 and a half. The third year is the big one is the six and a half debt gap. I'm afraid to not be on team and then three more years of two and a half million. So you're paying them for a long time that six and a half being where it is in like what we could be doing the next couple years is kind of a kicker. um I think Jake and I are pretty friendly in the camp that we don't want the buyout to happen at least not right now. I don't think it makes a lot of financial sense Jake.
00:04:02
Speaker
to that Agreed. Yeah. I think, I think the six and a half million in three years is what is the biggest thing that gives me pause. And you're also, I mean, two and a half million isn't a lot, especially with the rising cap, but it's just for a long period duration. And I am not a fan of that. We talked about it. I said, I don't want, I'm not on board with the buyout. If they don't feel that they want to use him in their top six and they don't feel that they want to spend the assets to make a trade, then I guess this is kind of the option you're left with. um So I'm curious what they would do with that extra cap room, yeah what kind of move they might make. But yeah, it's it is ah it's it's troubling. You're trying to get out from a contract that a previous general manager signed. And it is, it's a contract that's not worth what it is, right? Like it's just, he's just not a $9 million player anymore. And you understand why Botteros signed the, or yeah, had like signed into that deal, kind of had no choice. He just put up like 50 goals or whatever. for sure So to how many questions, comments, concerns?
00:04:57
Speaker
in, cause I always come from a kind of a Bill's reference. Is there any world where like a contract restructure could happen? I mean, like and then in Bill's we saw Dawson Knox, we saw Von Miller do it. Like, is that a thing or not really in the app? It's not a thing in hockey because the contracts are fully guaranteed. Yeah. There's no, there's no, there's no wiggle room, right? So like when you sign a contract, they're getting all the money. Maybe maybe maybe that's kind of why they're, I mean, well, anyway, that's a whole other company. discussion. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. All
Josh Allen's Upcoming Season
00:05:22
Speaker
right. I mean, it's so just kind of a quick shot from both you two pro or con, like, yes, we should do it. No, we should. No, we shouldn't do it. Not yet. I'll go the other way. I'll say yes. If you use those cap dollars effectively and sign somebody else. It does free up a lot of cap space. Yeah. On a cap space. Immediately too. but
00:05:42
Speaker
It's just that six and a half dead cap is is a tough one because i we have that next like iteration of core players are going to have to get paid. And that's and some those are important dollars, every one of them. so I think there's a plan. like if If there is a plan to use those cap dollars that you're freeing up, great, I'm in. But we'll see what happens this offseason. Yeah, we got to wait for the plan. All right, that's pretty much all we got for the for the saber stuff right now um Let's get into some bill stuff. How do we have our other resident bills expert back with us ah Tom? I freaking love that shirt so much. Can you get that a little bit closer for that? Yeah, shout out del reed and 26 shirts This is a this is a cool one. Yeah, dude. Yeah freaking x-men Buffalo bills. Anybody ever watch that new x-men show show yet? I have not, but I probably will. It's good. It's absolutely worth it. It's so retro. like It's the same art style as it used to be, yeah but it's new. It's a new story and all that. It's so good. I love it. We're going to start with like our our overarching topic for the bills right now. and it's
00:06:38
Speaker
so just like How rosy are our Bill's Mafia glasses right now? Like, as I said here with my rose-colored glasses, literally. um But that like are we, ah we're we're wondering, because like Twitter right now is a toxic wasteland for Bill's stuff. Some people are thinking it's going to be like the greatest season of Josh Allen's career. Other people are saying he's going to fall off a cliff, including Bill's Mafia, um because we don't have a designated number one go-to guy. But there are some people that are like,
00:07:09
Speaker
They're like very adamantly predicting the best season from Josh Allen ever. And we're not saying it couldn't happen, but like, where's the appropriate place for the expectations to be right now? Yeah. like What do you think? Yeah, I think it's so funny that we can sometimes base our opinions off of like the the Twitter feeds and what what like what Bill's mafia is actually thinking. It's like asking like a drug addict how they're doing, you know, like like getting the weather report throw as a heroin addict. You know, like it's like, why are we going to them? But um yeah yeah, that's I mean, we There's so much hope right now. That's the off season. And especially the off seasons in Buffalo for both the Sabres and the Bills. It's always the season. It's always right yeah is the season of hope, baby. And it always could be really awesome. And I don't know. I just, we were kind of talking, we were sitting down, Nigel and I were chilling this morning. We were drinking coffee and listening to other podcasts and kind of came up of like, is
00:07:58
Speaker
Is that truly, is there, is there room for Josh Allen to have the best season of his life or is there truly truly a ah room for this season to be different and good, but maybe not like the best season that Josh Allen will ever have in my mind? I don't think this season is the one where it's like, yep, this is going to be the pinnacle, the peak of Josh Allen and this bill's offense. I don't think this is the year. I think that's in the future. I think we've had great years. I don't, that but that doesn't mean that I'm saying it's going to be a problem. I think it's going to be different. I think we're going to see different usage. We're going to see different players have to step up. and But I don't think that means that it's like we're tanking.
00:08:35
Speaker
But I also don't think that it means that this is going to be the most productive or prolific that Josh Allen ever will be. yeah I think that's in the next two to three years when we have Duncan Cade continue to just blossom. Kian Coleman gets settled in. Kalir Shakir just come out comes out with the the breakout that we know is coming. Like I think there's room for that in the future. But I just don't know what's going to be this year. But I still don't mean that think that that means is that we're going to it's going to be terrible. I think it's going to be different. I think it's going to be good. Yeah. Jake, do you want to do you want to go next? Yeah. Yeah. I want to say something because that that leads into what I was thinking. It might not be the most prolific numbers wise season that he has, but this is his chance to take some younger players that he can now, like like when Stefan Diggs came to the team, I think Stefan Diggs helped mold Josh Allen into who he is today. That's fair to say. he He credits him directly. So I think this is Josh's chance to say, okay, I have these younger
00:09:24
Speaker
Paul catchers to mold them into something. So yeah, the numbers game might not be there, but I think this has a chance to be a great season for him in the way that he can help mentor and bring some of these young players around to the point where they can feel comfortable in the NFL. Yeah. If you're someone that's been banging on the door and you're like, you're just so desperate for Josh Allen to win an MVP. This is the cast of characters he can do it with because this this iteration of of weapons that Josh Allen has requires him to be a like legitimate all-star point guard and in the NBA, right? To just distribute the ball the way that he needs to because you don't have a step on digs that's going to pitch a fit if he doesn't end the season with 180 targets.
00:10:05
Speaker
if If he throws for 4,540 touchdowns, it's because Josh Allen played his butt off, yeah you know? And it's because Josh Allen wasn't focused on like, okay, I got to get step his targets. Josh Allen was just seeing the field and going to where the play, yeah where where the the defense dictated the ball to go. I'm so excited. I mean, we've heard a couple of times from Joe Brady this off season, and he's already said multiple times, like this is, yes, as he's the coordinator. This is Josh Allen's office. There's been series, even in these, all these, um, these off season workouts and things where Josh Allen's the one calling the place. It's not Brady. I'm clearly, they've had conversation after conversation back in the, you know, planning and and whatever in other practices, but there's been multiple times where Josh Allen's the one taking the reins. And that's what you want to hear yeah from a franchise quarterback be like, cause that's what you've heard.
00:10:48
Speaker
Tom Brady do Peyton Manning do Aaron Rodgers do when he was, you know, yeah playing in Green Bay, like that's the player. And he's stepping into those, those boots, you know, and I'm i like, that's awesome. I am really excited, dude, because like, it it's, you know, you you lose a guy like step on digs. And if we're talking about 2021 22 step on digs, then this is a different conversation. But we're not talking about that stuff on digs right now because he wasn't that stuff on digs at the end of last season with this offensive coordinator, right? So it was objectively bad. He made things worse by being on the field and getting those targets that he did. Yes. And when, when you have a number one guy, like a step on digs who you like, you just have to feed
Training Camp Highlights
00:11:32
Speaker
him those targets. It takes away from like, okay, maybe the best move would have been for the play to go that direction. But this is meant to go to step digs. He's got a bitch. He doesn't get the ball. So you have to give it to him. I think when you're not married to that and you can just let things play out and be the, cause he's, he's not an anticipatory quarterback. Like we all know, right? He's more of a, Oh, I see that to like,
00:11:55
Speaker
That's happening right now. Let me use my ridiculous arm strength to drive the ball in there and legs, right? So I think when you, when you take away that necessity of giving one guy 180 targets so he can get what his 100 catches, I just think it opens up the offense to be. just just way more unpredictable. yeah yeah and And we can win in more ways. when So when they're planning when other teams are planning for us, yes, they have to count for Josh Allen, but they have to count for Josh Allen and they don't really know where the ball's gonna go. Before, we third down, third and long, we know it's going to Diggs. You just know that that's where the ball's going.
00:12:31
Speaker
So now if you're a defense and the bills are in 12 personnel, right? That's going to be Dalton Kidcade, Dawson Knox, James Cook. And then let's say, I don't know, you got Shakir and Coleman and Curtis Samuel out there, like so many different ways you can get beat right there. You know, like, yeah, it's going to be so I might have to give too many wide receivers for a 12 personnel. You know, hey, you know, 50 on the field. Maybe that's what we really need. maybe that's That's really there. We've been not trying not that we need to sneak extra men on this field to try and get more than 11 guys on the field. Well, you know what? We we've tried that. We we tried that in and go we didn't know. yeah
00:13:06
Speaker
Can't do that for field goals. No, so um really not as we found out. Um, a couple of things that we, that we need to touch on here. And my God, I don't know. There's another fan base that is this guilty of this Bill's mafia. We are entirely too obsessed with our big bodied receiver training camp darlings. It's every year, every year. Who was it? Duke? It was Duke Williams. williams who Brandon brandndon Riley. I want to say it was one. I don't remember him. Justin shorter last year. Yeah. Just people are banging the table for Justin shorter, built like a Greek God, but I can't do anything. Yeah, dude. And we need to talk about Chase Claypool because he's done this every year that he's been in the league that but I can't star. And it just doesn't go great. Or the first couple of years it went great, but even the last two seasons in Chicago and Miami, amazing training camps. He's looking absolutely yoked up, looks awesome. And then just entirely useless once the season gets here. So.
00:13:58
Speaker
Bill's mouth hit. Chill on Chase Claypool. Wait until the pads come on. Wait until we're playing some preseason games. Let's temper the expectations. It does carry some weight from me that Sean McDermott's going out of his way to talk about him. He doesn't do that a lot. No, he doesn't but we we've seen this before with Chase Claypool multiple times Yeah, so we got a chill on Chase Claypool. I'll believe it when I see some live bullets firing any No, I completely agree Yeah, we got it. We got to pump the brakes and it does I mean there's I think it's that whoever's gonna be wide receiver five or six is gonna be interesting.
00:14:34
Speaker
Yes. I think as the way the wide receiver room shakes out, it's going to be, as we progress through this summertime, I'm sure we'll have a but more in depth conversation, but there's a, there's a couple of very intriguing players who could slot into that. And Chase Claypool is admittedly one of them, but I just don't think he's, you know, got it locked up. Yeah. yeah by any means. Yeah. Agreed. So relax those mafia. That's all going to work out the way that it needs to. And when he doesn't make the team, don't be pissed at him because he looked super fast and super strong in mini camp with no pads. Right. Right. Yeah. The team season being a intelligent fan. Yeah. Um, and then, uh, one of you guys want to talk about Tyler Bass, cause I don't think I want to.
Kicker Concerns and Rule Changes
00:15:10
Speaker
T mass is not looking so good. Um, he's had some struggles, um, coming out of reports or reports of him struggling or coming out of camp, meaning like he's missing very makeable field goals, multiple misses from 30 yards, dude, 30, then 40 to 50, like had a couple of makes at 50. We had that one, that one, um, real, uh, release that he like sunk one from 70 plus eighty which is ridiculous but it's like so I don't know but we've also heard that it's been a it's been either Sam Martin or Jake Browning holding for him.
00:15:42
Speaker
I think the long one and the couple of days he's had success has been Jake Browning. And then these most recent ones that we've heard where he's had more struggles, it was Sam Martin. So it's just so hard to tell. The guy at this point, Nigel, Nigel and I were talking about it more earlier over coffee as well. Like at this point, we're kind of sunk with him. Like we're stuck with him basically, where it's he, he's, well, if this is the first year of his four year extension, paying him almost $5 million a year, seventh highest paid kicker in the league. um with not a lot of really cap space this year and honestly not great cap room in the in the future. like if you um we're kind of We need him to figure it out. It's really what it is. that's that is that is beyond It's really the only it's the only case because you have two options. You keep him or let's say you do release him.
00:16:29
Speaker
You lose money two years in a row and it gives you no cap relief either year. So that's a B that just hit me in the forehead. That's why I went like this. um But dude, like, yeah, he just, that we're literally the only choice. So if so if you release him and you have all that dead cap for two years, then you also are in the situation where you have to have an upgrade. and it has to be better it has to be better and clearly better and like really productive better exactly and at this point like is that a possibility the draft is over you know i don't i haven't looked at the free agent kicker list but i imagine if they're not signed to a team at this point they're probably not great kickers aren't bouncing around on the streets you know like so we everybody just start wearing like major
00:17:10
Speaker
Major, major prayer vibes for, for team asks his brain cells. im like I want the lady from Ted Lasso to come in and and fix him. Cause that's what it feels like. He's just got the hips right now, dude. Got somebody to go, go do the voodoo thing, whatever you need. Do you think that there could be a room for this year where whoever's punting, be it Sam Martin or Jake Browning also does the kickoffs. So then Tyler basket only focus on field goals. I think it's, I think it's possible, yeah especially given the new kickoff saying the new kickoff rule has some room where you don't have to be able to kick it deep. You have to be able to just kick it within the 20. I think the question you come up with there though, because kickers are your kicker has to be able to tackle.
00:17:48
Speaker
And T Bass is a freaking stick. He's a stick bug. Exactly. But but so it so are Jake Browning and and ah yeah what's his name? Sam Martin. Sam Martin. Like, I think best case scenario, dude, for your kickoffs, you've got like your your fourth or fifth safety is your kicker yeah or your cornerback yeah for for these kickoffs. Cam Lewis figures it out. Exactly. But Bill's dude like this for me. Quinn Morse? Maybe Q Morse or something? Maybe one of his too big. I feel like I want like a, like a, like a real legit skill position. Yeah. Yeah. somebody look a cam lose if yeah can lose kick yeah That's like a dream scenario. that' be cool i get to mar hamlock yeah you know We got at some point in here, we got, again, we'll put this on the list for later conversations. We got to talk a lot more about the kickoffs and how it's going to look. I'm so excited. predict our i'm so our kickoff It's going to be, ah it's going to be so cool. Yeah.
00:18:37
Speaker
They were going to be place. They were going to be big place. I think it's going to make the sports super fun. I think so. At first, I was very apprehensive because I was like, what is happening? But the more I hear about it, the more I think about it, I think it's going to be electric. It is unequivocally the biggest rule change that we have seen in our lifetime as fans. hes Easily. It's not even close. And maybe in our even our parents' lifetime. Yeah, like it could be. you know like i think it's it But then I think, I'm going to say 50 years. I mean, I'm talking out my butt, but but like i I think the biggest rule change in 50 years. Yeah, I can't think of anything that's even that's coming even close. it's gonna It's just going to open up the possibility for so many game-changing plays. And we're going to see more of ah the elite, high-level, like electrifying players who maybe don't weren't usually always involved with special teams for safety reasons and just like, hey, you can't play every snap. yep
00:19:24
Speaker
they're going to be chomping the bit because the safety, at least the data is coming out saying that this it's much less a much safer play. And then, so then the risk is much less. They're going to be chomping. They give me more touches, baby. yeah right Whoever's receiving, they're going to receive, like I think I've heard in like between 80 and 120 touches. That's what I'm saying. like that's a That's a full receiver load. right right like They're going to be like, give me the ball coach. Let's go. Jake, do you have anything you want to add to that? Questions, comments, concerns? later later episode when we get more into it, perhaps. But for now, I'm just excited to see it. I think um but at the the end of the episode, we're going to work on the backyard and we're going to actually like do a reenactment of the new kickoff rule.
00:20:03
Speaker
um The sun is that way so if you want to go and do that you absolutely let around right I think I'm gonna be minutes away from getting in you guys can't see if there's an ice bath right here and That might be where I'm headed before too long. Oh, yeah, have very pro ice bath on this podcast.
Podcast Conclusion
00:20:17
Speaker
We're immensely hot man I am so hot right now. Yeah, I want to get in there. Yeah Yeah. Legitimately. All right. Well, hey, let's go do it. Well, folks, thanks for hanging out with us. We just, you know, we always have we actually like legitimately have fun podcasting and both shitting and talking to each other. So we're like, you know what? If you guys were coming up, we knew it was like still the equipment in the car. Yeah. Let's see what happens real quick. Just real quick and squeeze it in. We're not going to be obnoxious about it, you know, and, you know, spend the entire weekend doing it. But
00:20:41
Speaker
um It's not the weekend. It's Wednesday. It's Wednesday. New parent. Baby brain. baby brain but folks Anyway, folks, thanks so much for hanging out with us. We really appreciate it. um If you could please go and find us on social medias, give us a like, give us a follow, um go tell everybody about it. This offseason, I think you should sing the music for me right now. No, we're not going to do music. We're just going to do a little, we're going to do a hard out here. um gang sorry glad Um, honestly, this is the time where we are gearing up for a great off season and going into the new bill season Sabers um beginning of the season isn't gonna be far off after that. Like this is the time. If you um have family or friends who like, who like Buffalo sports or want to get into Buffalo sports.
00:21:24
Speaker
Give them a little suggestion. yeah right home our way maybe We're fun, right? we're um were We're here every week and we're we're live on YouTube. We're live on X and we'd love to hang out with you. So thank you so much for chilling and hanging. We love you all. Go Bills. Go Sabres. Let's go Buffalo.