OldTimer1960

I think that the original point may have been: Given that the media and fan-base will be highly critical if they aren't Super Bowl contenders coming out of training camp - how would Reich or other candidates allow/not allow that to affect them? Lots of coaches have (apparently) been affected by media/fan criticism and New York will lead the way with criticism by all. There are probably 5x as many all-sports talk radio stations in NY as there are in Buffalo and > 10x as many rabid unhappy fans who will complain and criticize endlessly. Whomever the Jets select as coach will need to have thick skin or be successful instantaneously.

No fair asking that question! It is only fashionable to point out that they don't have Manning, Brady, Rodgers or Brees - no solutions required.

Agreed. This was the Bills' thinking when they refused to pay Andy Levitre $8M/year. The logic was sound then and it is now. I'll bet that "analytics" would tell us that pass rushing DEs are more important than OGs! Whether fans like it or not, teams simply cannot afford to pay top dollar for players at every position (assuming there are even players worth that level of $ available at each position). Teams have to select carefully which positions they invest big money into. Teams with good young QBs still on their rookie contracts can afford more at other positions that have very highly paid veteran QBs, but once those top young QBs are eligible for their $15-$20M/year deal, they'll have to shed salary at other positions.

Aww man, now you've taken the fun out of saying "the Bills buffoons just don't get it!" This make perfect sense to me (and probably anyone who thinks about it for a bit). Another poster and I both pointed out that football was significantly different than baseball and were dismissed because we obviously don't get this new-fangled analytics that genius Mike Shoop babbles on endlessly about. Thank you also for including the bit about the Bills using GPS tracking - OMG how could they be on the leading edge of something??? Further, thanks for the point about the Pats and their proprietary measures of player personality. While maybe not as sophisticated as the Patriots analysis, I am certain that teams have been extensively investigating players off-field behaviors and backgrounds all the way back into HS and before - nothing new there. Now, if someone can devise a test that can find the one Tom Brady out of the 1,000 similar athletes playing QB in college, that would be worth a bundle!

A high percentage of making a 4th and 1? What is the league-wide average? What do you think the Bills' success rate would have been with a poor run-blocking OL and 2 backup RBs with no real threat of a big pass play to keep the defense honest? You have to consider the hand that you are playing with when making decisions like this. The Bills team this year had an outstanding defense, very good special teams and an anemic offense. I completely understand why they wouldn't want to go for it on 4th and 1 in many situations - they were playing to their team strengths.

Man, I disagree. Tannehill had a very good year and we'd have made the playoffs with him as our QB. 67% completions, 4000+ yards, 27 TDs to 12 INTS - that's pretty good IMHO.

Does Sanchez have the kind of "professional preparation and attitude" that this staff is going to be looking for (and that would be a good influence on any young QB (Manuel or other)? Reportedly, he lacked some of that in NY where he appeared to want to be more of a celebrity than a NFL QB. Perhaps being cut and playing backup for a while has helped him mature, but that is what I'd be concerned about.

I think that there are a little more objective and easily obtainable statistics available for baseball - a game that is also much more individual match ups than football is. I am not saying that analytics can't help in some way, but I do think that it can't stand alone without talent evaluation. The condescending characterization you've made of "a roomful of dudes with average to to below average IQs evaluating talent on instinct" isn't called for, either. Without the talent evaluators, what is the analytics guy(s) going to base his analysis on?

So, where would these "iT gurus" get the performance metrics to carefully manicure and where would they get the evaluations of how each prospect measures up against those performance metrics? Don't delude yourself into thinking that purely crunching college statistics will produce even a reasonable evaluation of draft prospects.

Ah c'mon, I like them extra crispy! Sorry Russell, it was low hanging fruit...

Is that coaching or recruiting?

***SARCASM ALERT*** When you say "predict the next play", do you mean "run" or "pass"? That's pretty impressive to get right half the time.

Refuse away until you are happy - Then look at the QBs picked in the last many drafts. The irrefutable reality is that there are very few QBs capable of bing e very good NFL QBs.

For all the negative posters, imagine if we had drafted Blake Bortles this year and he put up the statistics that he did in Jacksonville! 59% completions, 11 TDs, 17 INTs, 6.1 Yds/Attempt. I am SURE that Jax will be cutting or benching him soon! (Sarcasm). It takes some time and patience to see how a young QB will develop. Sometimes that patience pays off and other times it doesn't, but for as important as QB is, I'd think patience would be prudent. The Bills definitely need to bring in some sort of veteran QB and likely draft another QB, but let's see what EJ Manuel can do. Unless an established QB like Sam Bradford became available by trade, I don't see a much better option than this.

You still haven't identified the mystery super QB that Nix and Whaley passed on - other than Russell Wilson - and i would venture to say that he is a very good game manager that runs the ball very effectively, but he isn't ask d to carry his tem to victory like Brady, Manning, Rodgers and Bree's are. I'd say Wilson is a very good QB for his situation and that he is a great leader. Ok, so one guy they really should have drafted - please note though that every other team passed on him twice by round 3

the other 20 or so teams still looking for a top notch QB probably never thought of this. Some around here talk like there are great QBs floating around to be had and the Bills just stubbornly refuse to go get one. It is pretty rare that a true star QB becomes available and then you have to be lucky and aggressive to be in position to nab him. Why do you think that we all pine for another Jim Kelly? It's because he is the best QB that this franchise ever had by a wide margin. That really isn't atypical either. Who has Miami had at QB since Dan Marino left? I am confident that pretty much all these "clueless GMs" know that their team would be much better with Manning, Brady, Rodgers or Brees at QB. I understand being frustrated, but who is there to get? And before we go to, "if we only had this year's 19th pick...", who specifically would you think will be available there?

That's because there aren't any great options. This is why 1/2 or more of the NFL teams are looking for a good QB.

In terms of QBs that Nix "ignored", the following stellar QBs were available when the Bills selected: Josh Freeman, Pat White, Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, John Skelton, Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Mallett, Brandon Weedon, Brock Osweiller, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles and Kirk Cousins. I'll grant that Wilson has turned out much better than expected - but he hasn't had to carry a team by himself as he is supported by a great defense and outstanding running game. Dalton is arguably better than Kyle Orton, but he hasn't performed well in pressure situations. Colin Kaepernick is not as good as advertised and has faded - he may still become a high end starter, but that doesn't look like a sure thing now. Finally, Nick Foles had a great 2013, but was not playing especially well this year before being injured. Beyond those guys, who did they blatantly ignore?

To be sure, Buddy Nix missed some high picks - as pretty much all teams do. But Nix did draft Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Jairus Byrd (all in the same draft), CJ Spiller, Marcel Dareus, Aaron Williams, DaNorris Searcy, Stephon Gilmore, Cordy Glenn, Nigel Bradham and Ron Brooks. Not sure whether Nix or Whaley made the pics in 2013, but that draft netted Robert Woods, Kiko Alonso and Duke Williams.

That 2-12 team also beat good Chiefs and 49er teams - also at home. Some teams improve over the course of a season. Further, losing Marcel Dareus hurt the defense and we all know that the weak offense left no room for error by the defense. Now, lest there be confusion, the Bills heavily invested in defense and it has improved greatly. They just started to address the offense last year. Whether some here like it or not, that strategy has made the team competitive. They were in the hunt for the playoffs until week 15 a far cry from years past. IMHO, if the Bills play the Pats competitively tomorrow, then I think this has been a very encouraging season.

It would be interesting if Bill Polian were brought in as a consultant, but I still would like Doug Whaley to remain as the GM. I also think that Doug Marrone should stay as head coach. Marrone has instilled toughness and grit into this team. He has set a positive culture in place and I think those are the most important jobs of a head coach. I would like to see if Whaley and Marrone can continue to improve this team through the offseason. Certainly, there needs to be improvement on offense, but I think that is achievable for the OL. QB is another matter, but that puts the Bills in the same boat as many teams - unfortunately, there aren't man answers available there,

Hmm, it wasn't Gailey's fault that the defense was bad because they lacked talent and the talent that they did have was young. Yet Marrone has gotten good results on defense where he has talent, but he is to blame because the offense lacks talent and the talent that they do have is young....?

Agreed that the QB position is still unresolved, but the Bills will likely pick in the middle of the round, so what sure-fire franchise QB are they missing out on that they could have gotten?

Good points and the data suggests that poor offense is a predictor of not making the playoffs. I agree that the Bills' offense is a wreck and I agree that Chan Gailey got more out of less offensive talent than the current staff has. I do think that you failed to mention how terrible the Bills' defense was during much of the playoff drought. I suggest that defense is also important and that the Bills have improved markedly in that area.

How would you suggest scheming around an OL that can't open running lanes and can't pass block? I think that they've tried getting the ball out of Orton's hands quickly, but folks complain that they "never go deep". Unfortunately, the OL hasn't held up in pass protection long enough to go deep. I think that they've tried screens, but OL blocking for the WR/RB on those has been poor. They've tried running the ball inside and wide, both without a lot of effectiveness. The poor pass protection means that opposing DBs can play tight to the line not needing to fear getting beat deep. This also further clogs running lanes for a team that can't create holes to begin with. Offensive scheming requires at least *some* kind of strength to play to. I really think that they knew that they needed OL help last offseason. Unfortunately, either Kuandjo and Richardson are not yet ready or they misfired on those picks. I give them credit that they knew what needed help, but the reinforcements didn't work out. After watching Cyril Richardson be abused during Senior Bowl practices, it isn't surprising that he wasn't a help this year. Kuandjo was a bigger let down. I know that I thought that he would help when they drafted him, but the preseason showed that he couldn't play at the NFL level - at least not yet.