Hapless Bills Fan
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I have just read Sullivan's latest piece on Whaley being a gambler which ends "what if the locker room explodes? What if the Bills finish below .500?" It is the biggest load of nonsense I hve ever read. If a team's locker room "explodes" and a team has a losing record, especially when that is a step back from the year before, the GM and the coach are always on the hotseat. Whaley cutting Fred and Cassel makes no difference to that at all.
ROTFL! I read it too, against my better judgement as I suspected from the headline it was a Sully piece (I wish SDS would buy-in to the suggestion of somehow tagging Sully articles so some of us could "see and avoid").
My favorite part was his description of the Bills as a "young, fragile squad". I dunno how the youth compares around the league, but "fragile?" Seriously, Sully? As far as youth, here's how it breaks down:
Vested vet with >= 4 years 26
3 years 11
2 years 9
Rookie 6
That doesn't strike me, actually, as particularly young. And I'm pretty sure that any football player worth his paycheck would barf into his socks (better yet, Sully's socks)22 at the thought of describing himself as "fragile". I hope the Bills will consider piping a little Bachman Turner Overdrive: NOT FRAGILE into the locker room and stadium, just for Sully. Memo to Sully: Goodwin is fragile. Harvin may be fragile. Two fragile extremely fast-twitch WR does not a fragile 53 man roster make.
Maybe we could tag Sully articles linked on TBD with Yolo's "Chicken Little" avatar? "But it’s a fragile construct. What if the running backs falter, or the locker room implodes?" LOL. Memo to Sully: the running backs faltered big-time last year. And the term "Bickering Bills" - remember the team it described - and its talent level?
The rest of it is just rehash - Whaley is going into the season without a "big money" franchilse QB (what were his options? and would keeping a $4M 3rd string really change that?), The Bills should have cut Dareus last year like Sully said but since they didn't, they should have given him a new contract (before he showed he'd straighten up). Cutting Cassel and Jackson is all about Whaley keeping "his guys" but wait, in this salary-cap age signing and keeping Big Money stars requires a balancing act of cutting larger-money lunch-pail veterans and money had a lot to do with it. Make up your mind, which is it?
I for one, am sick of the years where the Bills kept a locker room full of guys with "diminished skills but vital leadership" sprinkled with a few "PR" moves like signing Terrell Owens and then not being able to re-sign our draftees who developed well. It's time to try something different, and at least I can see the logic in what the Bills are trying.
Marrone was so happy with getting Watkins in the 2014 draft that he stormed out of the room and he never had any arguments with Whaley on player personnel.
That was one media report but didn't Wawrow, who had a ringside seat, say that his "storming" was not readily apparent?
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@mikerodak: Free-agent C Lemuel Jeanpierre visits Bills: http://t.co/lTYczYYvRo(via @FieldYates)
Played for Seattle 2011-14
Oh, now that's very interesting. This guy came in the last 3rd of the season for Max Unger and played 3 games, all W. They re-signed him as a FA in April and cut him on Aug 31.
Rex, Whaley and Co. are getting serious with the message "perform, or we'll find someone who can". Any kickers yet?
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I know it's way early to talk about this. Cary before the horse and all, just curious though. It's a valid thought when thinking about the future.
Stop right there, please.
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Yep.
Both Buddy Nix and Whaley share some credit for the current roster. Murph has a pretty good article just up on BuffaloBills.com:
He points out that 32 of the 52 guys on the current roster were added on Whaley's watch, including 10 of the 13 draft picks.
Nix inherited a totally wet mess - horrible talent, blown draft choices in the early rounds, no established QB, a crappy scouting staff. He was National Scout in 2009 when we drafted Maybin in the 1st round and deserves question as to how much input he had in that choice. There were also questionable decisions - bringing in Shawne Merriman and keeping him around for years, for example. The overall philosophy seemed to be giving players multple years to develop if they were injured (Easley, Troup, etc) and doing very little wheeling and dealing (trades, draft moves). Arguably the biggest gaffe of Nix' tenure was the (in hindsight) premature contract extension to Ryan Fitzpatrick and the failure to draft a QB until 2013.
A number of the biggest stars still on the Bills roster were added under Nix's watch (see below). The unknown question is how much input and influence Whaley had between his arrival in Feb 2010 and becoming GM in 2013 after the draft. The Sheppard for Hughes trade made right before Whaley took over was probably a Whaley move, but was EJM Whaley's guy? Nix's? Both? It's also a good question how much the respective coaches (Gailey, Marrone, now Ryan) influenced the choice of players. My guess is that for the high-profile guys (McCoy, Clay, the QBs etc) probably a lot of influence, for the lunchpail guys not so much. Change of ownership (a more free spending culture) also has an influence.
My bottom line is that if the Bills win big, both Nix and Whaley deserve credit. The roster was much improved when Nix left than when he arrived, and IMO it's taken another big step under Whaley. Two big changes under Whaley seem to be much greater willingness to trade, and much less interest in keeping players around if they're not healthy (Merriman vs Chris Williams) or are considered to cost more than their value (Byrd, Spiller, FredEx, Cassel). It's more heartless and harder-headed, and I think unfortunately that's the needed mentality.
Notable acquisitions under Nix
2010 (Whaley hired as assistant GM in Feb 2010)
Eric Wood
Carrington (Backup)
Easley (ST, backup WR)
Kraig Urbik (FA)
2011 (Modrak fired right after draft)
Dareus
Aaron Williams
2012
Gilmore
Glenn
Bradham
Brooks
Mario Williams (signed as FA)
Chris Hogan (PS fall 2012)
2013 (Whaley took over as GM right after draft)
EJ Manuel (backup QB)
Robert Woods
Marquise Goodwin
Duke Williams
Chris Gragg (backup TE)
Nickell Robey (UDFA)
Jerry Hughes (trade)
Manny Lawson (FA signing)
Corbin Bryant (FA after 2012 season)
Notable acquisitions under Whaley, still on the roster:
2013
Mario Butler (PS in Nov)
Stefan Charles (PS in Nov)
2014
Sammy Watkins
Kouandjio (backup OT)
Preston Brown
Randall Johnson (backup)
Seantrel Henderson
Bryce Brown (trade)
Anthony Dixon (FA signing)
Marqueis Gray (FA signing)
Marcus Thigpen (FA signing)
Corey Graham (FA signing)
Bacarri Rambo (FA Fall 2014)
2015
Ron Darby
John Miller
Karlos Williams
Tony Steward
Nick O'Leary
Tyrod Taylor (FA signing)
Charles Clay (FA signing)
Jerome Felton (FA signing)
Percy Harvin (FA signing)
Shady McCoy (trade)
Ritchie Incognito (FA signing)
AJ Tarpley (FA signing)
Jerome Felton (FA signing)
Matthew Mulligan (FA signing)
Gabe Ikard (FA signing)
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I don't like not having a 3rd QB on the 53 man roster.
A lot of teams don't carry a 3rd QB on the 53 man roster?
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Why do they call him Trick Shot?
I see I'm the 3rd person to post the video so <delete>
So in other words, the type of throws that EJ reportedly threw at camp.
I think the difference being that in the video, Tanney called it before he threw it. But when we had him in, he didn't look like "all that and a bag of chips" and we didn't keep him even as a camp arm, as I recall. He's obviously willing to work at his craft, though, so maybe the Titans taught him something.
Edit: not with the Titans long enough to learn from them. I don't know if it's a good sign that as a DIII guy, teams keep picking him up, or a bad sign that teams keep dropping him.
http://www.titansonline.com/team/roster/Alex-Tanney/c558bfc2-4e57-4696-925a-0cbd967982d6
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I dont even know how to feel about Brandon anymore. He is a yes man. But, with the Pegulas it seems that he can do his job and he does do it well... Ralph stooges, namely Jim Overdorf and Littman, seem competent now. They pulled multiple rabits out of their hats to assemble this team. The numbers they crunched to get Clay under cap.
Littman retired, quit, or was shown the door (your choice) when the Pegulas took over as owners.
Overdorf seems to be doing a good job, I agree
I believe the difference is, previously the front office finance guys set a budget for the team and either were the personnel people (Brandon functioning as GM) or dictated to them.
Now it seems the coaches tell the FO finance guys what they want to do (sign Clay with a contract Miami can't match; resign Dareus) and the FO tries hard to get it done - though in Dareus case it may be shooting back with "well if that's what you want you need to get me $10M of cap room PDQ" or the like
Fred Jackson said Doug Whaley was the only person in the Bills organization who was dishonest with him. I believe Fred Jackson. Whaley is questionable in several areas.
Dude, Fred Jackson took being cut very personally. Go back and look at what Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, and Bruce Smith said when they were cut. Now Thurman is a huge Bills supporter. The utterings of a player who has just been unexpectedly cut or traded are always to be taken with a large shaker of salt.
But believe what you like.
I don't see any logic in cutting Fred. Because there was none.
If you don't see logic, maybe you're looking with your heart and not your best hard-headed neurons. You may disagree with the decision - many do. But the logic of it is relatively easy to follow.
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Seems pretty last minute to be looking for O-line depth at final cut down?
If you aren't happy with your OL depth, when do you suggest you look? It's not like people are cutting quality OLmen in the middle of July. We missed on the guys we wanted in FA, and we drafted Miller in the 3rd who looks "Money" so far. If the guys you've got aren't getting it done, next opportunity is to comb through the roster cutdowns.
I said it last year and I'll say it again. We should have taken a G\C with our first pick in the draft.
OK - who did you want who was still there at Pick 50? http://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2015/draft.htm
Yeah, we suck. Instead of listening to you, they drafted one in the
2nd3rd round who's starting.When will they ever listen to you...
Fixed. Miller our 2nd pick, but drafted in 3rd round.
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PS is ten this year so five more to go.
No, in addition to the 5 I posted, the post I was quoting listed DB Jaylin Watkins and OL Chris Martin. So 3.
Hopeful: while funny and coincidental it's still not a mistake. Phillip Sims is not Matt Simms father. This Sims is an UDFA who played at Alabama
Wow, I even googled and stuff. OK, got me!
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Chris Martin T/G.
I hope this guy has a good memory 'cuz he's seen half the playbooks in the AFC East
Apparently Roman familiar with him
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Tuesday August 18th 2015. The New England Patriots announced today that they have claimed OL Chris Martin off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. Read
Martin, 25, was originally signed by Houston as a rookie free agent out of Central Florida on May 16, 2014. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder, was released by Houston on May 27, 2014 and signed by the Patriots on June 23, 2014. Martin was released on Aug. 30, 2014 and signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1, 2014 before being released on Sept. 26, 2014. He was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 8, 2014 before being released on Oct. 13, 2014. He was signed by Houston to the practice squad on Nov. 12, 2014 before being released on Nov. 25, 2014. Martin was signed by San Francisco to the practice squad on Dec. 10, 2014 and then signed to a reserve/future contract on Dec. 30, 2014 before being released on June 15, 2015. He was signed by Miami on July 29, 2015 before being waived on Aug. 17, 2015.
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I can confirm that CB Jaylen Watkins, the brother of Sammy, is headed to the Bills’ practice squad, as @MikeGarafolo reported.
BN Blitz: Per agent, #Bills add OL Chris Martin to practice squad http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/09/06/per-agent-bills-add-chris-martin-to-practice-squad/
Per Bills home page, practice squad signees:
WR Dezmin Lewis, S Jonathan Meeks, G Cyril Richardson, LB Kevin Reddick and RB Cierre Wood.So 3 more to go, plus ?1 more to the 53 man roster? 2 DB, 2 OL, 1 WR, 1 RB, 1 LB - seems like we usually have a DLman or 2 stashed there, maybe another LB?
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@mikerodak: The Bills will not be able to sign QB Matt Simms to their practice squad unless they drop Richardson or Reddick. Rule technicality.
Can anyone explain this please?
So does signing him create goodwill with Sammy, or is it a quick path to pissing him off when we probably release him down the line?
I would think Sammy understands that Practice Squad is tenuous, and he's hopefully glad to have his bro here, he can let him room or help him find a good place and so forth.
As long as his bro is a positive not a negative influence.
maybe in just confused but there is a QB named Phillip Sims
He's Matt Simms father
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You can click "view history" on the entry and see all the edits that have been made.
There's one that says "...and Brady is God."
I'm kinda thinking maybe this guy has a buddy just signed to the Patriots and they're going back and forth? Belicheat hasn't taken the newbie back to the Tub of Entrails and explained the Patriots Way yet.
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What kind of player in college ? I don`t think he was highly sought after. Read his Bio.
If he was highly sought after, we wouldn't have been able to draft him in the 6th round, now would we?
If there's one place I think highly of Whaley, it's in knowing LB potential when he sees it. Tore his ACL his freshman year. Worked his way back to this:
"strong senior season with 73 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a team-high 13 quarterback pressures in 12 starts last year." If he'd had that productivity for 2-3 years, he would have drafted higher, maybe the 4th?
The Pittsburgh Stillers model which Whaley follows is to look for LB talent in the 3-5th round, play them on ST for a year or 2 while coaching them up, then either cut them or stick them in the starting lineup. Steward fits that model except for being drafted a round lower due to the injury and the need to work his way back.
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According to his agent. OG.
Guard and C I think.
And tying threads together, right now his Wikipedia page is a must-view, check it out
Good... I think. Does anyone know if the cleaning staff at OBD was told about it in advance, or is this just another example of power going to Whaley's head? #roguetothebone.
Someone really ought to have one of these framed and sent to Whaley's office
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Peter Pan pic?
Naw, I'm not part of the panning crowd - it's just what I quoted. "currently a member of the Buffalo Bills (the greatest football team of all time). He played college football at Oklahoma. Brady cheats."
Even my teen daughter who is not at all interested in football LOL
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What do you really think about Whaley? Since releasing Fred, I see Whaley becoming a bit of a meme around here ("going rogue," etc.).
Personally, I was upset about Fred, think the EJ pick was a disaster, and recognize how much we gave up for Sammy considering there were other great WR picks in that draft.
However, my confidence in Whaley has never been higher. Is he not primarily responsible for the stellar roster we currently have? All I have seen since Whaley joined the Bills, and since he took over the Bills, is the Bills getting WAY more competitive and the culture and expectations completely changed.
I love Whaley, and I think some of the fools around here should appreciate competence when they see it. The Bills are good, and it's because of Whaley.
Good is as good does. I'm still burned by all the "top DL on paper" stuff before the 2012 season with Wannstache.
I think Whaley has done a good job overall. I think his D acquisitions overall have been solid. I think some of his O acquisitions have been shakier or have a verdict of "not yet proven" - the Chris Williams signing was the worst (and I think the guy responsible for scouting that got the sack), the 2014 OL draft is a mixed bag (one out of three with "improving, but Not All That yet" for a 2nd), and the Bryce Brown and McCoy trades get a "TBD this season". I'm.....Hopeful!!!!
I think the question on Whaley is, is he really good, or is he just so much better than the Tire Fires we had before him (I view Nix as a transitional player)
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Gabe Ikard, C/G just signed to the 53
RUN check out his Wiki before someone changes it
"Gabe Ikard (pronounced EYE-curd;[needs IPA] born September 26, 1990) is an American football center who is currently a member of the Buffalo Bills (the greatest football team of all time). He played college football at Oklahoma. Brady cheats."
Either he has a great sense of humor or someone does -- alright, Fess up, which of you rogue hooligans did it?
To inject a note of football relevance, he was UDFA signing for the Titans and spent last year on IR.
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Just to play devil's advocate, he was pressed into a starting type role in week 8 last year. He carried 22 / 44, it's a small sample size, I know, but the closest to starting and being an every down back.
True enough, FLbills. As points to consider I'd say: 1) we won that game 43-23, so one could argue that whatever we did on offense, it was more than enough 2) Bryce Brown was 7/15 - the Jets run D was effective 3) we led all game, and most of Dixon's runs were in the 3 or 4thQ when we were trying to 'play it safe' I guess
3 games later, Game 11, we played the Jets again and Dixon went 12/54, 4.5 ypa, while we bet the Jets 38-3 so obviously he can move the rock.
It's so hard to draw any conclusions from last year. Our run blocking was just so bad.
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This is not a big deal and somewhat of a pet peeve of mine but Dixon wasn't cut by Roman or anyone else on the 49ers he played out his contract and was an UFA and eventually signed by the Bills because he thought he might have a better chance to run with the ball
You're absolutely right, Kelly, sloppy of me. I had read somewhere that he was cut, and I didn't verify before posting - Me Bad!
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I'm not a fan of Dixon running with the ball. He's good for 2-3 tough yards every now and then but he's not a full time RB. That would leave us with 1 RB and 1 rookie backup. Meanwhile we have 5 TE's!
Well. He's never been used as a full time running back and he's def. made his name as a ST guy. If anyone should have chapter and verse on him that would be Roman, who did cut him.
OTOH, last year behind an atrocious OL, he had the best YPA on the team at 4.1 YPA. He's not a cut-on-a-dime guy with the speed to break big but there's something there. And there is something to say for that 2-3 tough yard ability. LIfetime he's 3.5 ypa which does move the chains (but of course the devil is in the details).
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I honestly would rather see this money go to Glenn BEFORE Bradham
Unless they think they can get Glenn into a contract in the offseason
Glenn was not all that and a bag of chips last year. (To be fair, no one was) I think Roman wants to see if he gets pre-2014 Glenn or 2015 Glenn before signing off on the "pay him!" chit.
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From who ?? Inside coaching info.I think Brown is the 2 back. From what I seen,oh heard.
Buffaloed, not doubting you just curious. If Brown is #2, then with McCoy uncertain that would make him #1. Rex made a big point about sitting the starters game 4.
Any gouge on why he played so much in game 4 if he's #2 and McCoy hoped for, but not yet 100%?
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I'm just so excited.
I know there are some Rex skeptics around here and I get it.
But putting aside the brashness and the silliness -
The man believes in pressure defenses. He's going to make Tom Brady uncomfortable. He's going to walk up to the bully in the schoolyard and hit him in the mouth. If that results in an ass-kicking, so be it - at least we went down fighting.
I've been so thirsty for this type of mentality and defense. I'm beyond excited. We're never going to sit back and just take it against the Patriots and THAT ALONE has me looking forward to watching football again. SO MANY TIMES the past ten years, the Patriots have come up here and made it look like a goddamn practice. I'm done with that sh-.
Now let's go eat a mother- snack.
To be truthful, I like Schwartz D style better - the consistent defensive master. I thought Albert H's "letter to my younger self" comments on Schwartz as a defensive genius were very telling. Rex's gambling instincts that will give up the 30 yd gain IMHO take an all-world D (especially an all world secondary) to execute properly. We'll see if he's learned something and can adjust this year, right now his 4-8 record against the Pats*** makes me sad. If we're 0-2 against the Pats*** or better than last year overall (eg better than top 5 D) I will most definitely come on this board and eat a mighty helping of this:
As long as we win, I'm all for it. And if we don't win, at least make freaking adjustments at halftime if something isn't working,
Grantland predicts Bills to be a cellar dweller in 2015
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
So, Grantland has a quickly-googled reputation for being one of the best sports sites. I dunno much about it. Is it?