What to expect from the Herd Mentality Substack
I’ve been looking for the right home for written content, and this is it.
I’m incredibly grateful for where my career in football media has taken me, but the missing piece (lately) has been writing. I have been offered opportunities, but I haven’t found the right fit, so I’ve decided to self-publish here on Substack. The autonomy and opportunity to build something for myself made this the right decision.
Now, it’s time to execute, and I want you to know what to expect. Additionally, I want to outline all of the current happenings with me and where you can follow my content.
Herd Mentality Substack
I have a robust content calendar planned and am eager to start. Let me also immediately say that the Substack WILL NOT be Locked On Bills in written form. We will explore new topics and expand on conversations from the podcast. Some content is best delivered through the written word, which will live here.
You can expect three posts per week and sometimes more during the season.
What are they? I’m glad you asked.
1. 5 Things We Learned about the Bills in Week (insert Week #)
I love how game weeks flow on Locked On Bills. That said, it moves fast. We react to the game, review the tape, and do Herd Mentality. Before you know it, we’re talking about the next game. Delivering my more extensive big-picture thoughts within that structure can be challenging. This weekly column will capture them.
Within 24 hours of a Bills’ game ending, I will break down at least five big takeaways from the week.
2. Josh Allen Weekly
My mid-week publication will concentrate entirely on tracking Josh Allen's metrics. I love blending film and analytics to gain a complete picture of a player or team, and that’s what I plan on doing in this piece.
Each week, I will be tracking several metrics that measure Allen’s play: completion percentage and passer rating, on-target throw percentage and turnover-worthy play rate, deep throw percentage, the average depth of the target, average time to throw, play action percentage, and SO MUCH MORE!
You will see weekly trends and, of course, the analysis behind the numbers. 2024 will be such an intriguing year for Allen, and this will be a fun way to follow it truly.
3. Opponent vs Bills Scouting Preview
As part of my work with Kyle Crabbs on the Locked On NFL Scouting Podcast (more on that later), we evaluate every player in the NFL and categorize them into different tiers. My objective with this weekly piece is to provide a visual of how the Bills lineup matches the opposition.
Every player is categorized as either an elite starter, quality starter, average starter, quality depth, replacement level, or incomplete player. Each of those labels has a color associated with it. So imagine, for Week 1, seeing how I grade all of the Bills’ offensive players vs. the Cardinals’ defensive players and the Bills' defensive players vs. the Cardinals’ offensive players. You will get that every week with an analysis of the most essential details.
Those are the three weekly in-season pieces of content. Also, after every quarter of the season, I will grade the Bills and measure the team's trends. I did that last year on the podcast, but I feel it’s much better communicated in written form.
I also reserve the right to write more than that, which I'm sure will not be met with any resistance.
The content continues through the offseason when the focus shifts to team building and roster construction. You can expect plenty of content covering the salary cap, roster moves, free agency, and the NFL Draft.
After Week 1, these posts will only be available for paid subscribers. So what are you waiting for? Subscribe now!
PS: Your subscription to the Substack also gets you into the Herd Mentality Discord, which currently has over 1,000 Buffalo Bills fans talking about the Bills, Sabres, grilling, video games, fitness, and everything in between.
Here’s what else I have going on.
I will continue hosting Locked On Bills as I have since January 2019. It’s a daily podcast on the Buffalo Bills that is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. Become an “everydayer” if you’re not already!
Locked On NFL Scouting Podcast
My work with co-host Kyle Crabbs on the Locked On NFL Scouting podcast continues! We’ve been podcasting daily together since August 2016, and nothing will change. It's just a couple of guys being dudes. What’s better than that? Of course, the pod is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube.
In case you missed it, I launched a third show in May 2024. I co-host the pod with Brett Whitefield, the COO of Fantasy Points. During the season, the podcast airs every Tuesday and Thursday. Powered by Fantasy Points Data, Brett and I break down the intersection of tape and data, providing context into the two essential branches of NFL analysis.
I love connecting with Bills Mafia! Outside of being a husband and father, talking about the Bills and connecting with other fans is my favorite thing. The Locked On Bills Subtext community has been a fantastic way for me to do that. Here’s what you get:
1-on-1 text messaging with me. Yes, it’s me.
My first reaction to all the major Bills news. There's no need to scroll your phone all day long. I'll send the critical news and updates to your text messages with my first reaction.
In-game texts! I send analysis in real time as I watch Bills games.
All-22 film analysis. After every Bills game, I study the tape and share over 30 minutes of clips with me breaking down plays.
Access to the Discord Channel
Live Streams with Bleacher Report
B/R schedules me one month at a time, but my schedule will be very regular. For September (and hopefully the entire season), I am going live immediately after every Bills game and again for a topical discussion each Wednesday at 4 pm ET. Follow my profile so that you are notified every time I go live.
Click here to follow me on the B/R App!
WGR 550
I will join Jeremy and Joe every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. ET for a guest appearance on the radio. Tune in locally or through the Audacy app.
It will be a fun football season, and I can’t wait to talk and write about it all! I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
This is gonna be so awesome Joe! Can’t wait to see where all of this goes, you’re the best!
Awesome stuff, Joe.