That Aud Smell

From “very concerned” to “excused absence” is a bit of the ol’ amateur hour. He was clearly ticked off on Tuesday. OTOH, he also said on Wednesday that the parties needed a bit of space and time after their meeting on Tuesday. So, he did seem to intimate on Wednesday that the conversation on Tuesday was a tough one. Which is perhaps why he was a bit pissed off on Tuesday.

My best guess from those clarifying remarks is that Diggs is frustrated with being treated as a "piece" of the offense -- e.g., having the OC create game plans where Diggs is being used as a decoy -- rather than being treated more like a stakeholder (a QB1?) who has a seat at the table -- or at least some kind of role -- when a game plan is being created.

Allen clarified that: “I mean, I think it has more to do than just football, is what I’m basically saying,” Allen said. “There’s the football piece, one, and then stuff that happens due to football. And I’ll just kind of keep it at that.”

Congratulations to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Congratulations to Jack Eichel. The word "gold" may be in that franchise's name, but they are in fact the platinum standard when it comes to managing and operating an NHL franchise. Onward!

"Diggs is a diva" is a lazy take. The guy is intensely weird and super emotional. But he's no diva.

"this does not work" is 100% accurate. The franchise's biggest challenge is to figure out life post Diggs as the WR1. Also ... "not football-related." Wtf.

Yeah - I've heard that as well. I guess it's possible that Diggs was pissed about that stuff? OTOH, if Diggs is getting the ball as much as he wants it and where he wants it, then he probably doesn't care at all what Allen has going on outside of the facility. Now I'm thinking of those 2 consecutive sideline patterns (both incomplete) that Allen threw to Davis ... was that against Cinci in the playoffs? Diggs was WIDE open on one of 'em (for a nice gainer). Holy spit, bro. Nah. Allen knows what's up.

Also, who else has other tea? I don't know where this stuff gets posted, but there are people in my office who do know where to find it, and, per a water cooler chat I had a few minutes ago, there's a rumour out there that Diggs' frustration was largely with Allen, whom Diggs viewed as insufficiently focused on "ball" (and perhaps more caught up in his new wealth, distracted by his love life).

Stands to reason. Something's amiss with McDermott. The guy is (or was) the guru of no-drama. And then, at minicamp, MINICAMP, drops a "very concerned" about his star receiver's "absence," which, has McDermott well knew, was not strictly an absence at all? Unforced error. Bad move.

I can’t get past the fact that choosing to root for Eichel isn’t a take.

PT Barnum. Don King. Vince McMahon. He’s a barker. A promoter. A bit of a grifter. It’s a familiar shtick. I’ll always say this for him: He knows talent. There’s a lot of it at Barstool.

And another BC guy. I like it.

I watched most of the game last night. Turned it off and presumed that the score would hold and Las Vegas would be up 3-0. I'm glad that Florida scratched that one out. I'll add my voice to those who are saying it: Eichel is a funking 2-way monster. A beast. Regularly doing things that are noticeable and positive for his side. Good on him.

God bless and Godspeed. He was a kindly presence, lo those many years.

mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be running backs. let 'em be middle relievers and such.

On the subject of the NFL cap not being real: TIL (more) about “void years.” Per a report: Leonard Floyd’s 1-year deal has a base salary of $1.165M, guaranteed. And he’s owed a signing bonus of $5.835M. Beane added three void years after Year 1. As a result, Floyd’s cap hit this year is $2.624M. Now, the Bills will of course carry some (but not a ton of) Floyd dead money for those three void years. But they also have cap space for this season.

Interesting take. All indications are that Miller will be a PUP type scenario - returning week 6 (?).

Damar’s return to play means it’s only a matter of time before I’m cursing his inability to take a good angle on a runner in the open field. (I’m going to hell, obviously.) They're both still cost-controlled, though. Also, there’s no way those guys fetch a 4th rounder. A 6th?

This is not totally true. But it is more true than it is false, that's for sure.

Welcome (back)! But listen, you can’t say your general hockey knowledge is weak and then ask questions about specific forecheck strategies and distinctions between positioning styles near the goal. *My* hockey acumen *is* weak. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Just saw that! Was coming back to give you some major stick taps.

I like the take on how it’d be better to throw money at an older edge rusher. I was unaware of attitude issues in Arizona. The Bills desperately need another wideout to complement Diggs. If Hopkins still had some juice, it’d be a fit. That said, it sounds like he wants a lot of guaranteed money *and* significant term. I’d probably let another team sign him, if that’s what the market bears. (That said: The market’s been soft so far.)

Anyone care to explain the Ed Oliver extension?

Thing the first: You misstate what I’d posited. I didn’t say “unfair advantage.” I didn’t say “guaranteed success.” As for the balance, there’s no doubt that the Sabres bungled a lot for a decade or so. That said, fixing a going concern is fundamentally different than starting from scratch.

Not sure whom you mean to encompass by "[m]ost of the NHL," but be assured that this is precisely the deal the owners intended to make: Get a significant premium on franchise expansion fees in exchange for the expansion teams' having a good chance of immediately being competitive. The successes of Seattle and Las Vegas have been by design.