It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. just no ads. There's also a members only group chat for fans of your team. Plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the everyday or club link in the show notes. Which positions of need can the bills fill with youth and which need a veteran solution? We're going to discuss that right now on locked on bills. You are locked on bills. Your daily Buffalo Bills podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. What's up, Bills Mafia? It's Joe Marino, host of Locked On Bills. That's Jerry Ostrowski, 102-game starter for the Buffalo Bills. And we'd like to welcome you in and thank you for tuning in to Locked On Bills. Locked On Bills is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. Well, folks, welcome in. Jerry Ostrowski and I are here. Got a couple of topics we want to dive into. Later on, we want to discuss the impact of potentially losing David Edwards and Conor McGovern and what that means for the Tush Push, which is a really important play for the Bills. But we start by considering the Bills' primary needs and which ones they can afford to go with a younger option and which ones they need to go with a more proven answer. So, Jerry, let's dive into this. I have what I perceive to be the seven most important needs, wide receiver, left guard, center, edge, nose tackle, linebacker, safety. And we're going to go back and forth here and discuss, all right, can they go young or do they need to get something a little bit more sure? So let's start with everyone's favorite talking point, wide receivers. Jerry, can they go young here, or do they need a solution that they can count on? I think they for sure can go young here, and you've got to look at this roster. You've got Khalil Shakir. You've got Palmer. You've got veterans at that position. They need some dynamic speed and playmakers, and you get that in youth, and those are players that you draft and then keep in the program and have them for years to come. So, yes, most definitely, even if they add a veteran piece in free agency, they have got to get rookies, and they've got to get youth at that position. in Orchard Park. I totally agree. And that doesn't mean they shouldn't also add a veteran. I think there's a world where maybe they go Brandon Cooks and a top two, three-round pick, or Mike Evans and a first or second-round pick. I think that makes a lot of sense for the wide receiver position. But you need to get some youth in there, some cost-control youth, hopefully somebody that explodes and becomes awesome, and you can have that – you know, that advantage of having some young options in the fray. Well, it's not just even the cost-effective contract, which is vital for this Bills franchise to get out of the cap situation they're in. The other thing is some energy, man. They need energy at that position. I want somebody to make catches, bounce up, give first down signals, get fired up. There's really not any of that on this roster right now. I want to see that dog. I want to see that energy. Those receivers, that position tends to have those types of guys. and hopefully the Bills can find one in the draft. I think our answer there is both, youth and vet. All right, let's go to left guard. David Edwards expiring contract, Alec Anderson back in the mix. Can the Bills go young at left guard, or do they need a guy that's had a lot of tenure? I would say the answer to this is it depends, and I think it depends on what happens at center. If you find a way to get Conor McGovern back, I want them to go youth at left guard. I want them to bring young talent in. get a guy in the third round. If there's a guy sitting there and it's a steal in the second, take him in the second. You've got to keep this offensive line together because your two most highest productive players in the franchise are the quarterback and the running back. And when did those guys do well with? Good offensive lines. And I think they've got to keep investing in that position. So if they can find a way to get McGovern to come back, then I say go ahead and go youth. If McGovern and Edwards are not here, they've got to get some guys to come in that got some you know whether it be a center or the left guard depending upon how it all fits in they've got to get experience so I would say in that case it's it depends on what happens at center it sounds like you don't want two first year starters next to each other so I can understand and appreciate just the how they play off of each other if the bills did go with Cedric Van Praan Granger at center he'd be year three with the team of course to be a first-year starter. Alec Anderson's been around for a while. Is their time in Buffalo sort of together enough for you to believe that that's kind of a veteran or the fact that they both be first-year starters in the NFL? That's just too dicey to have next to each other. Well, I think that Alec Anderson's obviously had starting experience, not just at guard and center, but he played right tackle as well, and he's been in the system. He been the big man extra blocker on running sets So he got a little more playability a little more play experience to him than Van Praing Granger who I believe started one game this past season That's the extent of his time as a starter. So obviously I think Anderson a little more than Van Praing Granger. Could they both start at the same time? They could. I mean, they've both been in the system for two years, or actually Anderson much longer than that, Van Praing Granger two years. So possibly they could, but I still think there needs to be a veteran presence there. I'd like to see it at one of those two. If it's Van Paran Grandridge Center, then maybe find a guy to battle with Anderson at left guard. But even so, you still got to draft somebody. But the emphasis on, you know, things is a little different if both Edwards and McGovern are gone. All right, let's go to the defensive side of the football. One of the biggest needs this team has is edge rusher. And I'm thinking more through the lens of that rush outside linebacker, not the Greg Rousseau type player, but the bursty, bendy rush linebacker. Can the Bills go young here or do they need a veteran? I think they need both. I say that. But the thing is, I could go youth. I don't know how Michael Hoyt's going to fit. I know Hoyt's played some outside linebacker in the past. How does he heal? How does he come along? I do think they need an infusion out there. I think there's some guys in the roster that probably could move on, especially you're going to have attrition just because of the difference in a three-four front and a four-three front. It would be nice to get that vet because the thing I worry about with rookies is they come in and they get beat up a little bit. And we saw it last year with say, TJ Sanders. We definitely saw with Jackson. They get beat up a little bit. They don't have the success they have. And then it's kind of things are wavy. They kind of go down. The confidence leaves you. And then you see a guy like Deion Walker who makes some splash plays and he was, you know, happy as could be and had a very good season for a rookie. So I think they need a vet out there, but they do need to bring some youth in as well. But probably to start this thing, I'd like to see somebody that's got some snaps under their belt and understand some things. And then we kind of let that rookie work his way in the more time as the season goes along. I'm with you all the way. I want some veteran know-how there. And I think there'll be some economic economic options but i also do want to participate in this year's edge class that has all these bursty bendy guys to get some young players in there as well because you know as the development happens the price tag goes up and you want to have some players on on cost control that can give you some impact and also joe real quick on that is you know rushing the passers more than just having ability you learn to rush the passer too and you got to learn how to rush against these pro tackles as well. This is the one I'm most excited to ask you about and it's nose tackle. Uh, I think we're finally going to get that big, you know, space eating two gapper in the middle. Can the bills get a young player there? Do they need a veteran? I want old school, nasty, stinky guy. I want, I, I want that dude. It's been in it that understands it's got his fingers all mangled up because he's been two gapping his whole life. He's been hitting nothing but face masks and all that kind of stuff and being tangled in jerseys. That's the guy I want. I don't want a young guy in this position. If you want to bring one in to learn under the vet, that's fine. But the best noses that I've ever played against have been the veteran type dudes that understand the physicality of the position. They understand how to play through the war of being inside because that's not, you know, they say, you know, football's fun. There are some spots that are less fun than others. being that just space-eating, get-beat-up-nose is not necessarily one of the more fun positions to play. So I want that old vet that understands how to set that tone and set that middle and let his young backers and young defensive ends fly around and make plays. I'm 100% with you on this, and I previewed nose tackles that the Bills could sign in free agency. And two of my favorite options, one of them is Crisis Tonga, the other one is Roy Lopez. They're very similar. They're both about 30 years old. They both played on four teams in the last five years. They both kind of had like their best season last year. And I just think it takes time not only to mentally understand blocking schemes and how to leverage gaps and be where you're supposed to be and embrace like the unselfish role that is required of a nose tackle. But I think to your point, the physical demand of what that entails, I think it takes some time. And if you were to go young there, I think you're missing out on an opportunity to take advantage of other people's development, right? And kind of get the finished product at this point. And those are players that are not expected to be handsomely paid. They're probably both under $5 million a season. And so I'm with you. Sure, get a young player there, but I think your answer needs to be that better. I think there's a lot of young guys in college that can play that position, but not right now. I think they don't really teach that position anymore in college football, especially with NIL and transfer portal. This is get upfield, to penetrate, make plays. And I think there's a lot of bodies like that. We saw a lot of bodies like that in last year's draft. They can come in and learn it, but they've got to learn it after a couple of years. And, you know, there's something to feeling pressure and knowing how to get off of things. And yeah, I want an old school vet at that spot. All right. We have a couple of more positions to discuss linebacker and safety. And then I'm excited for this question that was sent in about the tush push and what it could mean without the center and left guard. We know Josh Allen likes to go left, so we'll break that all down for you next. Folks, be sure to stick with us. 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I think they'll have roles, but I think the Bills do need to make an addition here to add to that mix because all three of those guys are question marks in my opinion if the bills do agree with us that they need or me i don't know where you stand on this i i think you're you're probably looking for an answer do you think that answer should be in the form of a young player or go out and get a bet well i think that linebackers probably one of the epitome positions like wide receiver that a young guy can come in and make an impact pretty quick i don't think there's a ton unless you just are playing in a system that's really really weighted down with decisions, which is like we just saw with McDermott. Most systems, it's pretty easy as far as reads and going and reacting to the football. So I think I would like to see an infusion of youth here as well, because I look at guys like Bernard. If we were to bring back Shaq Thompson, some of the guys we have are vet type dudes. We need an infusion of youth. And the same thing goes for defenses that went for offense. I want to see some more energy out of these guys. I want to see plays made, guys getting hyped up, being happy, jumping on helmets, those types of things. I say draft some linebackers or draft a linebacker. If you bring a vet in to help with depth, that's great. But I think I want to see a young guy play there. I'm not going to be mad about a young player added to the mix. I find myself having an appetite for a modest veteran addition here. Someone that has played in this style of defense, you know, because the spacing is just a little bit different. So I want somebody that's played in it. There's going to be guys like a Leo Chennault, a Caden Ellis, potentially on the market that make a lot of sense to me. And so I would find myself hoping to get someone with some know-how here because I don't know what to count on from Terrell Bernard. I mean, I like Joe Andreessen, but am I going to assume that he's going to be an important role player for this defense? And I really do like Dorian Williams, but where do they play him? How does that all work together? And I think you need more than that anyways. so uh i would like i would like to feel like they have something i i can count on right group in a group where i just don't know right now based on who's back uh one more position safety they need a running mate for cole bishop um maybe that'll be jordan hancock we have a lot to learn about jordan hancock do you want the bills to go young here for the safety position or do you want that bet i probably think we have enough developmental pieces there and i i kind of read between the lines and hear Jim talking about, Liner talking about, you would think his excitement about Cole Bishop. Of course, that's his position he played. Maybe he sees himself in Cole Bishop. But really what does that other safety need to do in this system I think that probably more so than anything we seen what a veteran does to the back end of a defense We saw that this past year with Jordan Poyer. I think this is where I want to bring in a vet. We've talked about some names in the past. I think, you know, you've got people that can run the front end. Let's get somebody to help in the back end. I'd like to see a veteran presence here and then see if we can continue to develop Hancock and some of these other guys that are on the roster. Yeah, I'm very specifically looking and hoping the Bills sign a true center fielder, somebody that they're going to play zero, they're going to play cover one. And so I want that guy that knows how to stay leveraged over top, knows how to cheat, knows where he's supposed to be, where the spacing is going to maybe be compromised and be in position. So I want that veteran that can play over top and complement Cole Bishop and maybe free Cole Bishop up more to play in low alignments. At Utah, he was phenomenal one-on-one in man coverage against tight ends. And so I think this is a really important player, in addition, that they need to make to really unlock, I think, the full breadth of what Cole Bishop can offer. And maybe kind of help me with this because I agree with you. I mean, we know where Cole Bishop's going to be. It's going to be close to the football, right? And maybe in this new system, some of the things that McDermott asked Taron Johnson to do in the run game and stuff will now be taken over by Cole Bishop being more intentional inside and downhill. Is that a reach, or am I thinking kind of where I need to be? I think you're thinking what I hope is true. Right. We've got so much to learn, but we are definitely aligned on that being what I hope comes to fruition. Right. All right, let's get to this question from Tim. And part of what Jerry and I want to do on these second episodes each day here on Locked On Bills is to get to some of the herd mentality questions. So not so much herd mentality going to be an entire show of me answering questions, but we're going to bring them into these episodes. And this one from Tim is one that I'm curious to hear what Jerry has to say. In fact, Tim says, I'd love Jerry's input on this. Considering the reality that we lose both Edwards and McGovern, or at least one, how impactful is that on the success of the Tush Push snowplow? I know Josh always goes left towards where the two of them are blocking. were those two guys the most crucial part of that play or is it that we have a 6'5 240 pound quarterback driving forward and reggie gilliam pushing them can we have similar success with two new faces or will we see the success rate of the play decrease right you know you see the tush push use you know the two main teams are the eagles and the bills they run it to more than anybody else in the league um obviously hurts and then of course josh allen um they've haven't tabled it this year they're not going to talk about getting rid of it so it's going to be here when you look at the success of the of the tush push in buffalo why does josh allen go left all the time well it would make sense if you were going to go which some way you'd probably go over maybe osiris torrance but he chooses to go left because i think his right foot's back and that's the way he likes to go i don't i don't necessarily think this is something where connor mcgovern and david evers have become this just amazing tush push tandem to where we won't be able to run it when they're not there. I think Josh Allen prefers to go left. It's kind of like a point guard that always goes to the right, right? Always with his right hand, always going to the right for whatever reason. And I have to think it's because that right foot's back when he takes that snap under center, he pulls himself to the left. And so, yeah, I don't think the, the, the, obviously it'll hurt not having those two guys if they're both not here because they're such good linemen, but you know, there's other ways to do it. I mean, you can maneuver stuff around and even if Alec Anderson was there. I think I'm sure he could block for the tush push. You could move guys around if he needed to. But yeah, I think that predominantly goes left because that's the way that the guy that takes the snap likes to go. I don't think it had to do with Edwards or McGovern. Do you know who I think is very critical to the tush push who's also an expiring contract is Reggie Gilliam. Yes. When Reggie Gilliam's pushing Josh Allen, there have been times where I'm like, oh, maybe he's going to have some whiplash based on the jumps. Right. I'm worried about like back injury. Yeah. Like he's, it's crazy. So I think, I think he's, he's a critical component to that success as well. In fact, whenever he's not on the field and they run tush push, I'm like, I don't think they're going to get it. And by the way, that should be one of the first deals they get done. That's not going to, that's not going to cost that much money. They get it done and let's get them in house. I mean, he does too much of the dirty work to, to get rid of them. I agree with that. Let's, let's get them back. Keep doing the tush push. It seems like, uh, I saw a quote over the week where, you know, of course it's been a conversation because it's not going to be a conversation, which thank God. When somebody said, oh, so this confirms that people weren't actually mad at the tush push. They're mad that the Eagles are really good at it and they just don't like the play. And then the Bills, I think the Bills are a better tush push team than Philly last year. Yeah, and that has, it's probably got to do, and I would say this, more so than the left guard, the way he goes, I would say it's probably more so the center than anything. um you know obviously Kelsey had a great great feel for it seems McGovern has a feel for it although if you watch him peel himself off the bottom of the pile every now and then I don't think he enjoys it but uh he wasn't too bad at it all right we're gonna roll the close here and Jerry I didn't say this to you before we hit record but uh some folks were mad at me that uh I didn't give you a chance to say much love go Bill so you will have the last word today so as we get out of here, we thank you for being here. As always, I kindly ask that you share, subscribe, rate, and review. Have a great rest of your day and go Bills. Much love folks. Go Bills.
