mjt328

I read multiple training camp reports, from each and every practice the Bills held during the offseason, from lots of different reporters. They all said the same thing: - Josh Allen was making lots of "wow" plays, but also making lots of really bad mistakes and poor throws - AJ McCarron was unimpressive, taking too many sacks and seemed to be trying too hard to avoid mistakes - Nathan Peterman was the most steady, solid and consistent Once Preseason hit, things seemed to be following the same pattern: - Allen displayed lots of talent, but his start against a first-string defense (in the third game) suggested he may not be ready - McCarron played good the first game, but was terrible in the second and fourth - Peterman was consistent in each of his three appearances, regardless of which unit he was playing with or against My guess is that Peterman is one of those guys who plays well in a controlled practice setting, when there is no pressure, he knows exactly what to expect and he's against defenders he's seen many times. Same thing when he's going against a bland preseason defensive scheme. But put him into a real high-pressure NFL game, where he doesn't really know what to expect - he panics and everything crumbles to pieces. Having that Brady/Montana-like calmness is very underrated, and something that's hard to determine in a player until they are put into the situation. It's possible Peterman gets more comfortable as time passes. But it's hard to justify waiting on a QB to develop, when he's got so little upside.

So the only options you see are giving the front office an "unlimited leash"... or relentlessly bashing them and calling for their heads after Week 1 of their first full offseason? Got it. I've made it very clear that Buffalo should take a significant step-forward and competing for the playoffs by the mid/end of next year (2019). Rebuilding is not just about age. For example, Sammy Watkins is young and talented. But he was clearly going to command a top WR contract, and wasn't even CLOSE to worth that money. At this point, Watkins is probably the most overrated player in the NFL. Even when he's got good QB play and a high-powered offense around him, his production is pathetic. At some point, people are going to recognize that he's just not very good.

I get so tired of this argument. Many of the best QBs in NFL history were drafted to the WORST franchises in the league. Bad O-Lines. Bad receivers. No running game. If you have the chance to draft a franchise QB (especially on a team that hasn't had one in 20 years), you don't ask questions. YOU DO IT!!!! What if Beane had kept those 2018 picks, and used them to upgrade the O-Line and WR corps instead? Then we get to the 2019 Draft with the #1 Pick.... and all of the prospects are terrible. Or maybe we are drafting at #2 or #3 overall and there is only one good QB available. For all the b!+ching about roster management, the Bills have a potentially VERY STRONG foundation to build the future team on. Quarterback (Allen), Left Tackle (Dawkins), Middle Linebacker (Edmunds) and Cornerback (White). If those guys work out, we could be set for a very long time.

You sound like Jerry Sullivan, thumping his chest like a cranky old man. The last 17 years are totally irrelevant. This regime walked in the door, and declared that our roster needed a TOTAL and COMPLETE revamp. Not a piece-by piece patch job like our previous GMs always prescribed. And despite dumping a good chunk of talent, they still managed to put together a more successful season than any of the clowns before them. Here's the thing that so many people on this board seem to be missing. There are two VITAL elements to a roster rebuild: Step #1 is tearing the old foundation down. Letting veterans walk in free agency. Trading picks for players. Purging the salary cap. Step #2 is the actual rebuild. Drafting better players. Filling in the open spots with veteran free agents. There is no timeline for deconstructing a team. You can do it gradually over a few seasons. Or you can do it very quickly, within a few months. Rebuilding is another story. There are 53 roster spots on an NFL team. There are 22 starting spots. Even the BEST front offices will have a tough time drafting more than 3-4 impact players per season. And how much you can do in free agency is very much constrained by the available salary cap. Beane simply did Step #1 very quickly (mostly to obtain draft capital to secure his franchise Quarterback), and it's going to take TIME for him to finish Step #2. At this point, nobody knows how the rebuild is going to go. This regime has gotten only 1-2 draft classes (depending on whether you count 2017 or not), and the newest group has played exactly ONE game. Our free agent strategy has been 90% about clearing space, and 10% about actually filling holes. People that are complaining right now, are doing so because they are miserable crybabies, and NOT because they have some unique insight into how our front office is actually operating.

If Josh Allen develops into a good QB, our current group of WRs will magically start getting open and looking better.

So from what I gather from this post, your biggest complaint is that Brandon Beane should have: 1. Kept all of his picks in the 2018 draft 2. Waited to draft his QB in 2019 Just for the moment, I will disregard the fact that Buffalo had the extra draft capital and opportunity to make the QB move this year (knowing for sure there was a prospect they really liked) - and that nobody has any clue what next year's draft order or prospect class will look like. Instead, I will simply point out the fact that you (as a fan) are extremely upset about the Bills not fielding a competitive team in 2018... and your solution is that they should have pushed off the addition of their rookie QB until 2019 -- basically extending the rebuilding process past next season as well.

The next 4-5 months will be much less stressful, if Bills fans can just understand and accept that 2018 is a rebuilding year. Josh Allen will be named the starter eventually. And guess what? Our offense is still going to struggle, and look very bad for much of the year. All the people screaming for the coaching staff to throw in Allen, will probably give him about 5 quarters of football before declaring him a bust.

Even in most blowouts, it's rare to see a team play so poorly in all three phases of the game. I'm not expecting much this season, but I don't think Buffalo will be quite this bad all year. Our special teams allowed a big punt return, had a missed field goal, a dropped snap by the punter, and then failed to jump on the ball when the returner muffed it. That's a 12-point swing on those plays alone (and more, considering the Ravens scored touchdowns after two of those mistakes). Also consider that both of Nathan Peterman's interceptions led to Ravens touchdowns as well. I point all this out, because I think the defense has a good chance at rebounding. It's hard to play when the rest of the team puts them in terrible position all game. They clearly had some coverage breakdowns, and they still struggle getting pressure on the QB. But the run defense was decent, and there were other times the secondary looked OK.

The current front office has nothing to do with anyone else who ran this franchise in the past.

Fans really need to be patient, and let Brandon Beane's plan come to fruition. If this team isn't pointing up by the middle/end of next season, then we can start talking. Until then, it's just ridiculously premature. Nobody wants to deal with a rebuilding season. It's ugly to watch, and it's easy to get impatient. But until Beane arrived, this organization was stuck in a perpetual state of .500 football, with no playoffs in 17 years and no franchise quarterback. He decided that our best course wasn't to add talent to the foundation, but to blow up the foundation and start over. Many are frustrated with the lack of talent we added this offseason, and want to blame Beane for not fielding a competitive team. But looking at our resources, I just don't see how much more he could have done. We only had so many draft picks, and it was absolutely vital to the plan for them to secure Josh Allen with the first trade up. We absolutely could not walk out of this draft without our QB of the future, and anyone who disagrees is not worth listening to. Even without the trade-up for Tremaine Edmunds, we would only have had one extra 3rd Round choice. That's it. In free agency, Beane used the little cap space he had to improve the D-Line. Maybe time will tell that he overpaid for Star Lotulelei and Trent Murphy, but I think we should give them a little bit longer than Week 1 to call them busted pickups. The Vontae Davis addition looks pretty bad so far, but EJ Gaines only played 11 games last year and is already hurt again. I can't blame them for letting him walk. After the Davis, Lotulelei and Murphy signings, we didn't have the cash to make any other splash signings. Right now, the Bills are sitting with less than $9 million in cap space. So it's not like they had a ton of money to go out and upgrade the other weak spots. We had to settle for guys like Russell Bodine and Marshall Newhouse. And for all of the complaining about the O-Line, don't forget that Ritchie Incognito retired in April - AFTER all the best free agents had been picked clean and AFTER the draft was finished. The Bills had restructured his contract and were counting on him playing this season. It's not Beane's fault that Incognito screwed his teammates over. I get it. We have big holes on the offensive line, at wide receiver and at cornerback. We will likely be starting a rookie quarterback sooner than later. We probably won't be very competitive in 2018. But that was never the plan. The plan was to develop Allen, get Edmunds some experience. Next year we have an estimated $90 million in cap space. We have virtually no players (Kyle Williams and maybe Kelvin Benjamin) needed to re-sign. And we have a full slate of draft picks.

No. Actually, the Bills have been doing the exact opposite for most of the last 17 years. This is the first complete rebuild the Bills have done since Tom Donahoe was hired after the Music City Miracle. Do you really feel like Buddy Nix (who refused to move away from Ryan Fitzpatrick) or Doug Whaley (trading extra picks to move up for Sammy Watkins) were making moves with the FUTURE in mind? Nope. If you break-down the 2017 Bills and the 2018 Bills, these are the major differences you will find: - They traded their below-average QB Tyrod Taylor for a 3rd Round Pick (robbery) and drafted his replacement in the Top 10 - They let their below-average MLB Preston Brown walk in Free Agency (oh well) and drafted his replacement in the Top 20 - They lost their best O-Line players (Eric Wood and Ritchie Incognito) due to retirement - They let EJ Gaines walk in Free Agency, mostly because he couldn't stay healthy They played all of last season (finishing 9-7 and making the playoffs) without Sammy Watkins or Ronald Darby. They only had Marcel Dareus for 5 games. They only had Cordy Glenn for 6 games.

After what I saw in preseason, I thought Nathan Peterman deserved the starting job. And I was slightly optimistic he was going to take a significant step forward from the disastrous play as a rookie. One of the things that I liked about Peterman during the preseason was his quick decision-making and release. With our O-Line struggling so bad, I figured this would be extremely beneficial to the offense. But with the real bullets flying at him today, it very much seemed (early in the game) that Peterman was holding the ball WAY too long. I just have to wonder if this is a mental byproduct of his 5-INT game against the Chargers last year. Some players look strong and confident in practice or preseason. But on gameday, they become hesitant, scared and overly careful. As the game progressed and Peterman had no choice but to finally push the ball downfield, he made very poor decisions and was extremely inaccurate. The guy offers virtually no upside as a quarterback. His arm strength is poor for an NFL passer. He struggles with anything over 10-15 yards. Any kind of outside timing route floats in the air, just begging for an interception. His athleticism is average, meaning he can't extend plays or make defenses respect his scrambling ability. For someone with his skill-set to be successful, he will need to be exceptionally accurate, extremely quick at getting the ball out and flawless in his decision-making. What we've seen instead (at least so far) is a guy who holds the ball too long in the pocket, who forces the ball into places he shouldn't and who has very spotty accuracy. Unless the coaching staff is scared Josh Allen will develop bad habits playing behind this O-Line, I don't see any reason why they shouldn't make the QB change in Week 2. And quite honestly, I wouldn't blink if they decided to cut Peterman and sign a real/experienced veteran either.

And then what about the QB position...

Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott would like us to be competitive and win right now. But they aren't going to sacrifice the LONG-TERM FUTURE of this team, for the sake of competing for a wild card position THIS SEASON. It just baffles me that so many fans just can't grasp this concept. Every... Single... Move... made by this front office in the past 2 seasons has been made with the team's long-term future in mind. Why keep a player around, if they aren't going to fit into the team's long-term plans? Especially if another team is willing to offer you a draft pick in exchange for that player? This is the question that can be asked about Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby, Marcel Dareus, Tyrod Taylor, etc.

I found this related article just as interesting. It shows a very strong correlation between the percent of cap space used by a team's Top 10 contracts, and their point differential throughout the season. https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/9/6/17521424/nfl-predictions-2018-super-bowl-contenders-salary-cap-roster-balance The trick to salary cap management is balance. - If you aren't handing out enough big contracts, chances are your talent level isn't where it needs to be. - If you are overpaying too many big name players, your depth is probably going to suffer. - Teams with young QBs on their first contracts have a significant advantage over everyone else. This is also further evidence that Buffalo is in full-rebuild mode. We are currently dead-last on the list, suggesting the Bills probably have less talent than most other NFL teams (which is unfortunately hard to argue). Our highest paid player is Jerry Hughes, who hasn't had more than 6 sacks since 2014.

Who cares what anyone thinks? At some point Josh Allen will get on the field, and he will either sink or swim. It's really that simple. If Allen turns into a Pro-Bowl/Franchise quarterback, all the armchair critics will simply forget everything they said against him.

It's hard to make a call after only three preseason games. But from the action we've witnessed, Nathan Peterman has played the best so far. Peterman is the only QB to play well against another first-team defense. I think that has mostly to do with his quicker decision making, which helps counteract some of the poor O-Line play. When put in with the second and third teams, he also raised the level of play for the guys around him. Once the real bullets start flying however, I think teams will stack the line and clog the shorter routes. Eventually, teams are going to take advantage of the lack of arm strength. In contrast, I think Josh Allen is still too slow in processing everything - which is totally understandable for a rookie, but only makes the O-Line struggles more apparent. He's clearly got the most talent of the group. My fear is that with the terrible blocking in front, Allen is going to be a sitting duck. Instead of being able to focus on his footwork, mechanics and other developmental steps, he's going to be running for his life all game. Some say he needs to have real in-game experience to get better. But I don't want the lack of protection to push him back into the old habits he's learning to break. I haven't been impressed with AJ McCarron at all. He is a five-year vet who holds the ball longer than Allen, but offers none of the upside.

I never had a problem with how the previous regime spent money in Free Agency, or with some of the high-priced contracts we gave out (Dareus, Glenn, etc.), or even with bold trades being made on draft day (Watkins). If that was the avenue Doug Whaley felt was best to build the roster, then so be it. I was willing to see how it played out. The problem was, the Buffalo Bills were only marginally better in the win column after 3-4 years with him in charge. They still didn't have a franchise QB. The roster was among the oldest in the NFL. And their salary cap situation was in bad shape. I agree that Whaley got somewhat of a raw deal (not being able to hire his own head coach, the change in ownership, etc.) But at the end of the day, his decisions were not good enough to make us a champion. Nobody knows how Beane's moves will ultimately pan out. In 3 years, we may look back and decide he was the worst GM in our team's history. I just find it ridiculous to make those kind of assessments at this point of his tenure. He's had exactly one offseason. We just finished our third preseason game. At some point in the future, Beane will be forced to answer for the Lotulelei/Murphy/Ivory signings. At some point he will need to answer for the Allen/Edmunds trade-ups. But that day is NOT today.

From the moment they walked in the door, Brandon Beane's plan was to: - Get rid of bad contracts and fix their salary cap situation - Stockpile draft picks to help obtain a franchise QB and rebuild the roster - Bring in players who fit the coaching staff's vision The short-sighted thoughts of some fans on this board are absolutely astounding. Anyone with the slightest hint of common sense, would realize this was a 2-3 year project at minimum. The plan isn't to make the Bills better "today" or to finish 9-7 during the 2018 season. The plan is to build a Super Bowl Contender. This wasn't going to happen with Tyrod Taylor's average play at Quarterback. This wasn't going to happen with Marcel Dareus getting suspended every season. This wasn't going to happen with Sammy Watkins underachieving. This wasn't going to happen with Preston Brown making tackles 4-5 yards down the field. The reason for all those trades was for draft capital to get OUR GUY at the most important position in the NFL. The reason for the large chunks of dead cap-space this year, is because it makes us TOTALLY free and clear next season. The reason we take 1-2 steps back THIS year, is because it will allow us to take 5-6 steps forward NEXT year People seem to forget that EJ Gaines missed 5 games last year (and is already hurt again). Until Davis got roasted in Sunday's preseason game, most people felt he was going to be a good pickup. Maybe we need to wait until the season actually plays out before calling this one a downgrade.

What a terrible assessment. I don't even know where to start with this utter nonsense. First of all, the 15 months that Brandon Beane has been on the job has included exactly ONE period of Free Agency and exactly ONE draft class. And NONE of the acquisitions made this offseason have played even a single snap for the Buffalo Bills yet. Every smart team (especially those rebuilding) are built through the Draft. But apparently you don't agree, because all of the places we got rid of an average veteran (Tyrod Taylor, Preston Brown) and replaced them with a top prospect (Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmunds), you considered that a downgrade or a wash. So basically, your assessment of this roster comes down COMPLETELY to what we did in Free Agency... Of course, completely ignoring that Beane's hands were totally tied because of cap space and high-priced contracts handed out by the previous front office. You have also determined that Pro-Bowler Vontae Davis is a downgrade to the always-injured EJ Gaines - I'm assuming based on one bad preseason game. You have also determined that Star Lotulelei is a downgrade to Marcel Dareus, who is currently a backup in Jacksonville and hasn't played well in 3 seasons now.

At this point, I think our O-Line troubles start with a lack of talent. Our best 3 linemen from the last several years (Eric Wood, Ritchie Incognito and Cordy Glenn) were all lost within a single offseason. Only Glenn has been adequately replaced, and Dion Dawkins was injured/did not play yesterday. Vlad Ducasse and John Miller both struggled horribly at Right Guard last season. This year, both are unquestioned starters. Jordan Mills has been a weak spot for years. This year, he's the most experienced starter. Neither Ryan Groy or Russell Bodine have been able to snatch the starting job, which is always a bad sign. Maybe Castillo will prove to be a poor coach as well, but right now he's working with crap.

So wait a minute... You start this thread, criticizing Brandon Beane for not doing enough to improve the Bills roster. (Keeping in mind, this was Beane's FIRST year handling Free Agency and his FIRST year running the draft. AND ALSO keeping in mind the 2018 season hasn't even started yet). Then when I point out that Beane needs another offseason before we can judge his success, you respond to my post with the following quote: "Turnaround time in the NFL is usually around 3 years."

The players Beane has dumped were released for a variety of reasons. Some were bad scheme fits. Some were not going to fit the salary cap. Some did not display the team-first attitude wanted from this coaching staff. Out of all the players we let go, I can't think of a single one that I would take back (at the cost we traded them for). Ronald Darby was injured and didn't play well for the Eagles last year. Sammy Watkins was a disappointment on the Rams, not re-signed and has been pathetic in preseason action for the Chiefs. Cordy Glenn is hurt again. Tyrod Taylor was not the long-term answer. When considering replacements, you have to understand our limited resources. We only had so much salary cap space. We only had so many draft picks. Did we sign Bodine and Newhouse because they were coveted players by Beane and the staff? Are these guys our long-term answer at those positions? Or were we trying to make the best of our limited dollars, and get by with adequate fill-in players for THIS season? That's where the patience comes in. The 2018 Bills are not a finished product. There are some important draft pieces scattered across the roster (Allen, Dawkins, Jones, White, Edmunds, Phillips) along with some important veteran additions (Benjamin, Lotulelei, Murphy, Hyde, Poyer), all of whom are important towards this rebuilding process. But those guys only make up half of the starting lineup. Next year, the Bills will have the cap space to properly fill the weak spots. They will have another full draft class of picks. Their young prospects will have gotten some badly needed experience. By the middle of next season, we should have a really good idea where this rebuilding project is headed and whether Beane's plan is working out. If his picks are struggling at that point, his Free Agent pickups aren't earning their contracts, and the Bills aren't winning games -- THEN we can start criticizing his decisions.

I really hope the message board isn't going to be flooded with these kinds of posts all season. Fans need to get it in their heads. Brandon Beane didn't come in here to patch some holes and make us a Wild Card team. He came here to completely tear-down what the previous regime did, and construct this roster piece-by-piece into a consistent championship contender. That cannot be done in only 1-2 seasons. (I think many fans have already forgotten that Beane didn't even come to Buffalo until May of last year, after Free Agency and the Draft were already wrapped up.) I agree that roster turnover CAN be quick in the NFL. But a lot of that depends on what pieces are already in place. The cornerstones of Doug Whaley's roster were either players that Beane didn't want (Sammy Watkins, Ronald Darby, Marcel Dareus, Reggie Ragland, Cordy Glenn, Tyrod Taylor) or players that have retired this offseason (Eric Wood, Ritchie Incognito). This is a TOTAL rebuild. Our two most important acquisitions this offseason were Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds. The plan is to build the franchise around THESE TWO GUYS for the next decade. Hopefully someday both will become regular Pro Bowlers. But for now, the common trait is that both Allen/Edmunds were considered physical freaks, who were raw and needed LOTS of refinement before reaching their potential. Read the scouting reports before the draft. Neither of these guys were expected to make a tremendous impact as rookies. There will be growing pains, and mistakes. Considering the number of players we decided to part-ways with, the two surprise retirements on the O-Line, our terrible salary cap position, and our desperation to land a franchise-QB --- it was totally unrealistic to expect Beane to fill all of our glaring holes in one offseason. The plan in Free Agency was to be conservative in spending this year, and get the dead-money/bad contracts off the books. Once 2019 hits, the Bills just might have the most cap space in the entire NFL to play around with. And all of our future draft picks. Bottom line. There needs to be an element of patience among the Bills fanbase. - 2018 was all about blowing up the roster and purging the unwanted pieces. - 2019 is about rebuilding the foundation - 2020 will be about filling in those holes If we aren't competing for the AFC East by the end of next year, then we can start criticizing what Beane did right/wrong. Until then, it's way too premature.

1. We didn't have much cap space, so all of our Free Agent signings were bargain-bin castoffs. Specifically Russell Bodine to replace Eric Wood at Center, and Marshall Newhouse to compete with Jordan Mills at Right Tackle. 2. Eric Wood's retirement was unexpected. But at least it happened in January. The Ritchie Incognito retirement was an even bigger shock, and didn't happen until the earl/mid of April. By that point, the team was already wrapping up Free Agency and looking towards the draft. 3. The Bills used their premium Day 1 picks on their two biggest needs. Quarterback and Middle Linebacker. Nobody can fault them for that. 4. Their next picks were used to fill Defensive Tackle, Cornerback and Wide Receiver, which were also massively huge needs. They finally followed that up with O-Line, getting guard Wyatt Teller. By that point, we were already through the 5th Round of the Draft. We only had so many resources.