水果派AV

We鈥檒l get our first look at the entire team together Tuesday for one of six scheduled 鈥渙rganized team activities鈥� 鈥� otherwise known as practice.

Until then, let鈥檚 get right to your questions 鈥�

Ed asks: As it stands now in the offseason, which Bills position group is in good shape and which one still gives you agita or leaves you a bit queasy?

Jay: The offensive line is solid. The Bills returned everyone from last year鈥檚 group. All the starters. All the key backups. That kind of continuity in the salary cap and free agency era is exceptionally rare. Quarterback Josh Allen has a way of making his offensive line look good by eluding rushers, but it was clear last year that the group up front was the best Allen has had in his career, and that should continue in 2025.

There are a couple of positions that give me some agita. It was natural after losing Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde that the Bills鈥� play at safety would take a step back, and that happened in 2024. Still, the Bills are pretty much running it back at the position. Taylor Rapp is a trusted starter, but opposite him, Cole Bishop has got to show in training camp and the preseason that he鈥檚 ready to step into the starting lineup ahead of Damar Hamlin. Bishop had an uneven rookie season, to put it kindly. He鈥檚 a good athlete, but is he a great one? The play in the AFC championship game when Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy wrestled the ball away from Bishop absolutely can not happen (even if, on review, it looked like the ball hit the ground). That was not a good look for Bishop.

On offense, general manager Brandon Beane might want to stop reading now, but I still have some questions at wide receiver. The Bills have one sure thing at the position in slot receiver Khalil Shakir. After that, it鈥檚 a whole bunch of questions. Will Keon Coleman develop into the player the Bills thought they were getting when they drafted him No. 33 overall in 2024? Will Joshua Palmer fit in well as a moderately priced free agent? Can Curtis Samuel give them more than he did last season? The Bills made it work at the position last year, so they deserve the benefit of the doubt, but those are still fair questions to ask.

Paul asks: After the recent rookie minicamp, I got to thinking: Where do all those players stay when they get here? How do they get back and forth from practice and, most importantly, do the Bills feed them or are they on their own?

Jay: The Bills put them up in a hotel, usually one relatively close to the stadium, although I know at other times players have stayed at the Marriott at Harborcenter. Given that minicamp was at the team鈥檚 facility, the cafeteria was open so I鈥檓 sure breakfast and lunch was provided by the team. The players might have been on their own for dinner, although they鈥檙e allowed to take food home. I鈥檓 not sure about transportation, although I suspect since the Bills arranged the accommodations, they most likely provided players a way to get back and forth from the facility, probably with a shuttle service of some sort.

KPT asks: In the old days, fans at the games and at home on TV were entertained by bands and cheerleaders. Now we have scoreboards blasting ads and minimal stadium entertainment. At home, we have commercials and 鈥渢alking heads鈥� expressing opinions. The NFL should research what fans would really like and then try to accommodate the majority at the stadium and on the broadcast. Do you agree?

Jay: It鈥檚 always a good idea to listen to your paying customers 鈥� hear that, Sabres? Sorry, that was a cheap shot. This question has a 鈥渂ring back the Jills鈥� feel to it, which makes me curious: Do you all agree with that? Do you miss the Jills? Let me know. My email address is below.

Jeff Miller asks: Congratulations to your friend, mentor and former colleague, Mark Gaughan, on a long and illustrious career. Welcome to new reporter Lance Lysowski on covering the Bills. I鈥檓 always in awe of all the reporting you all do in such a short amount of time. What are the qualifications to be a good sports writer, beside the love of sports? I鈥檓 thinking, at a minimum, good organizational skills and a good English language education, while also relishing working under the pressure of a deadline. Kudos to you all.

Jay: My garage and basement would like a word about my organizational skills, Jeff. My background is in mass communications. I have a bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of South Florida. You鈥檙e spot on about the need to be comfortable working under a deadline. That鈥檚 something that is hard to teach in a college class. My experience as sports editor of the Tonawanda News provided valuable training in that regard. Standing outside in the wind, rain and cold trying to keep your own stats at a high school football game is a world away from the press box at the Super Bowl, but it鈥檚 by far the best way to learn how to do the job. Appreciate the kind words and continued readership, Jeff!

John G. asks: Why the need to put NFL players in flag football in the Olympics? Their participation will resemble the farce the Pro Bowl turned into. Also, the scheduling of those games during the 2028 offseason will dramatically cut into their time off before the NFL games start in September. Remember, too, Robert Edwards suffered a career-ending injury for the Patriots in 1998 when he was hurt at the Pro Bowl during a game of football on the beach.

Jay: We鈥檙e on completely opposite sides of this one, John. I love the Olympics. The idea of winning a gold medal, to me, is the pinnacle of sport. If I was an NFL athlete, I would give anything for the opportunity to represent my country on the international stage. I understand the risk of injury that comes with playing. That鈥檚 a valid concern. But there is risk in everything we do. I love that NFL players can be involved and hope they embrace the opportunity.

John from Georgia asks: Isn鈥檛 the reason a domed stadium, with the associated cost, is not optimal for Buffalo is that it would not attract big indoor concerts due to a lack of premium hotel rooms? It鈥檚 the same reason Buffalo won鈥檛 host a Super Bowl, even with a new stadium. With a dome, the seat licenses would be more expensive, but not afford the purchasers access to premium concerts and/or other sporting events. I have seat licenses at the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta, and I鈥檓 constantly buying and reselling tickets to those types of events. If Terry Pegula could replicate that model, he would be all over building a dome. Buffalo, given the circumstances, will be punching out of its weight class even with a new stadium.

Jay: There is some truth to what you鈥檙e saying, John. In my opinion, though, it comes down to this. If Terry Pegula wanted a dome, there would be a dome. Pegula doesn鈥檛 want it, either because of the cost involved or his belief that football should be played outdoors. Either way, it鈥檚 not happening. I do think a dome would attract a larger pool of potential events to come to Buffalo, but to your point, Taylor Swift might not be stopping here regardless. However, the larger consideration when it comes to a dome is the comfort of fans attending games. It鈥檚 a tough sell in Buffalo in December and January, even when the team is good, as it has been under Beane and head coach Sean McDermott over the past eight years. A dome sounds pretty nice when the wind chill is below zero.

Jeff Berman asks: It鈥檚 been a number of years since someone was last placed on the Wall of Fame. With this being the final year at the current Highmark Stadium, will someone be named this season? If so, who are some candidates?

Jay: There has been no indication from the team that anyone will be chosen for the Wall of Fame. Full disclosure: I鈥檓 a member of the Wall of Fame selection committee, and it鈥檚 been years since there was even a meeting. It鈥檚 beyond obvious at this point that the team is going to reimagine how it honors its former greats when the new Highmark Stadium opens next year. I鈥檓 not opposed to the idea. But I would say there is basically no chance of anyone going on the Wall of Fame this year.

Ken asks: NFL owners spend money on player salaries which is capped, so 鈥渆qualized鈥� per team. If we were to lump all other spending, including coaches鈥� salaries, water person salaries, surgeons, transportation, yoga instructors, cheerleaders, parking lot bands, dinners for sports writers which we could label as discretionary spending is up to the team owners. Do we know where the 32 teams rank in this category?

Jay: We do not, and it鈥檚 a very astute point, Ken. Let鈥檚 look at the first one. There is no salary cap on coach salaries, so an owner willing to spend big conceivably has an advantage in that he or she should be able to lure the top coaching candidates. It鈥檚 also an advantage in potentially getting, say, a coordinator to stick around for another season. Beyond that, putting money into other aspects of the organization has its benefits. Most recently, I think of the Bills鈥� investment in their weight room. New players have consistently raved about the team鈥檚 facility, and all of the options and programs available to them when they get here. When competing for free agents, that鈥檚 important. There are other examples, too, like the Bills having a full-time team sports psychologist and a sports science department. Not every team invests in those things like the Pegulas. They definitely make a difference. There is always room for growth in the 鈥渄inners for sports writers鈥� category on the budget, though.

Jeff in Florida asks: The Bills鈥� local market 鈥� Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse 鈥� are all blessed with great local hot dogs. My personal ranking is 1. Zweigle鈥檚 (Rochester). 2. Sahlen鈥檚 (Buffalo). 3. Hofmann (Syracuse). What鈥檚 yours?

Jay: I hate to duck out on a question, but I鈥檓 not sure if I鈥檝e ever had a Hofmann dog. Because of that, they have to go No. 3. I鈥檒l put Zweigle鈥檚 at No. 2 and Sahlen鈥檚 is an easy No. 1. A Sahlen鈥檚 from Ted鈥檚 Hot Dogs with mustard, onion, a pickle and their hot chili sauce is heavenly in the summer. This was not an advertisement!

Thank you for all the questions this week! As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or by email to jskurski@buffnews.com.